Full text of "The Pedens of America; being a summary of the Peden, Alexander, Morton, Morrow reunion 1899, and an outline history of the ancestry and descendants of John Peden and Margaret McDill; Scotland, Ireland, America, 1768-1900"

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The 



Pedens of America 



BEING A SUMMARY OF THE 



"Pederiy Alexander ^ Morton^ Morrow 

T(eunion i8gg 



AND AN OUTLINE HISTORY OF THE ANCESTRY 
AN^ DESCENDANTS OF 



John Peden and Margaret McDill 



Scotland Ireland America 



17^8-1900 



ELEANOR M. HE IV ELL, 
House of David. 



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ASTOB, LeN«X A«tO 

> 1911 «- 



DEDICATED 

AFFECTIONATELY AND RESPECTFULLY BY THE AUTHOR 

TO 

Captain David Dantzler Peden 

Acknowledged and venerated Chief of the American Pedens, with whom 

originated the idea of a family book, and through whose 

generosity it is now presesented to the 

PEDENS OF AMERICA. 



CONTENTS. 



PART I. 

PAGE. 

Peden-Alexander-Morton-Morrow Reunion 9 

PART II. 

CHAPTER. 

I. Ancestral Pride 67 

II. Side Lights From Secular Historj' 70 

III. The Flitting 86 

IV. Our Fore-Fathers 93 

V. The Peden in the Revolution 100 

VI. Migrations of the Peden 109 

VII. Old Haunts and Homes 118 

VIII. Fairview and the Peden 128 

IX. Peden — Christian — Patriot — Soldier 139 

X. The Founders of a House 178 

XL House of Mary 185 

XIL House of James • • • 201 

XIII. House of Jane 211 

XIV. House of Thomas 217 

XV. House of William 237 

XVI. Elizabeth Gaston 243 

XVII. House of John 246 

XVIII. House of Samuel 250 

XIX. House of Alexander 256 

XX. House of David 269 

XXI. In Reminiscent Mood 289 

/ / 'i- 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



PAGR. 

1. Fairview Church in 1900, Frontispiece. 

2. Hon. Jno. R. Harrison, Capt. D. D. Peden, Dr. H. B. Stewart, 

W. H. Britt 9 

3. Mrs. C. A. Shannon, Mrs. D. M. Peden, Rev. M. C. Britt, A. S. 

Peden 13 

4. Peden Monument 17 

5. Fairview Church Arranged for Reunion 19 

6. Eleanor M. Hewell 64 

7. Rev. Mitchell Peden 157 

8. Rev. Andrew G. Peden 159 

9. Capt. D. D. Peden 163 

10. E. A. Peden, D. D. Peden, Jr., Allen V. Peden, Edward D. 

Peden 165 

11. Mrs. E. M. Tolbert 168 

12. John S. Peden 169 

13. Julia Peden 175 

14. The Race to the Rescue 177 



PART I, 



Peden, Alexander, Morton, Morrow 

I 

Reunion. 




Hon. John R. Harrison. 




C.iPT. D. D. Peden. 




Dr. H. B. Stewart, 




IV. H. Uritt. 



PEDEN--ALEXA\DER--MORTON--MORROW REINION. 

To be Held at 
Fairview Presbyterian Church, 

Greenville Co., S. C, . 
August 15th and i6th, 1899. 

All descendants of John Peden and his wife ^Margaret 
(Peggy) ]\IcDill, who can possibly do so, are requested to 
join the undersigned in a family reunion at Fairview Presby- 
terian church, in Greenville County, S. C, on August 15th 
and 1 6th, 1899. 

From the best information obtainable, the parents of John 
Peden refugeed from Scotland to the Xortli of Ireland during 
the time of the religious persecution in the former country. 
He and his family came to the United States, first landing in 
I'ennsylvania, settling in Bucks and Chester counties; just 

how long they remained there we cannot say. About the 
year 1768 he (John) removed to the Spartan District, South 
Carolina, settling near Nazareth church, in what is now Spar- 
tanburg County. 

They had ten children. Sons — James, Thomas, William, 
John, Samuel, Alexander and David. Daughters — Hilary, 
who married James Alexander, Sr.,; Jane, who married 
Morton, after whose death she married Samuel Mor- 
row; Elizabeth, who married William Gaston. (The latter 
left no children.) 

As stated above, it is our design to have a reunion of as 
many of their descendants as possibly can attend at the place 
and time stated. It is our purpose to erect a monument in 
Fairview cemetery to the memory of these, our venerated 
ancestors, John and Margaret Peden. 

Presuming that all of the descendants would consider it a 
privilege to take part in this good work, they are hereby re- 



lo THE REUNION. 

quested to forward any amount (much or little) as they may 
feel able to give, to Mr. Adam S. Peden, treasurer, at Foun- 
tain Inn, Greenville County, S. C. The amount should be 
forwarded at once (this week, not next), as the cost, size and 
design of the monument will depend upon the amounts con- 
tributed. As the time will soon arrive for the reunion and 

much work will have to be done in the meantime, prompt 
action is absolutely necessary. 

There will be a receptacle in the monument (in the nature 
of a corner-stone) in which will be placed a list of the names 
of all contributors, with amounts given by each. 

We also request all descendants to bring or send individual 
or family photographs, with their names, postofhce address, 
etc., plainly written on same, to be placed in the receptacle- 
alluded to above. This feature may prove to be of inestimable 
interest and pleasure to our descendants, say one hundred 
years from now. Also bring or send any relics to be placed 
on exhibition. 

Kinsmen, remember the monument to honor our parents, 
who left us a good name is going to be erected, and if you 
wish to join us in the good work you must act immediately 
in forwarding your contribution. 

We take pleasure in vouching for the integrity and 
thorough reliability of our treasurer, Mr. Adam S. Peden, 
who is an elder of the old mother church (Fairview) that has 
done so much for the cause of Christianity for more than one 
hundred years. The treasurer will promptly acknowledge 
receipt of all amounts sent to him. 

Most interesting historical sketches and addresses will be 
heard ; an elaborate program will be arranged for the occa- 
sion, and copies will be sent to all who express a desire or in- 
tention to attend the reunion. 

Quite a number of the Pedens now spell their names 
P-a-d-e-n; of course, this invitation applies to them also; 
then there are a number of our kinsmen (Pedens and Padens) 
in the North and West, and elsewhere, they too, and all de- 



THE EEUNION. u 

scendants connected by marriage, are cordially invited to join 
with us in the reunion ceremonies. 

You are urgently requested to advise all other Peden, Alex- 
ander, Morton, and Morrow descendants, of your acquain- 
tance, of the plans set forth, invite them to attend the reunion 
anxl kindly ask your local papers to publish notices of this 
invitation, for the name of Peden is legion, and the bearers 
of it are widely scattered, and it is our desire that none be 
overlooked. Those who hear of the reunion and attend it will 
be just as heartily welcomed as those known to us and to 
whom these circulars are sent. 

It is very important that all who expect to attend should 
send their names as early as possible to Mr. A. S. Peden, 
Fountain Inn, S. C, so that the Arrangement Committee may 
provide entertainment for them. 

RECAPITULATION. 

1st. Reunion of Peden descendants. 

2nd. Place — Fairview church, Greenville County, S. C, 
(Railroad station, Fountain Inn, S. C.) 

3rd. Time — August 15th and i6th, 1899. 

4th. Contributions to be sent to A. S. Peden, Treasurer, 
Fountain Inn, S. C. 

5th. Send photographs to be placed in the monument. 

6th. Invite your descendants, and ask your local papers to 
print notices of the reunion. 

7th. Importance of prompt action. Write the week you 
receive this notice ; don't wait until next week of the week 
after. 

We are respectfully your kinsmen, 

Hooper Alexander, Atlanta, Ga. 

M. C. Britt, Sparta, Ga. 

R. B. Morrow, Demopolis, Ala. 

S. M. Morrow, Somerville, Ala. 

Miss Emma Morton, Lancaster, Texas. 

Walter F. Morton, St. Paul, Minn. 



12 THE EEUNION. 



Wm. D. Paden, Cameron, Texas. 

D. D. Peden, Houston, Texas. 

J. W. T. Peden, Van Vleet, Miss. 

Wm. Peden, Richburg, S. C. 

J. T. Peden, Graycourt, S. C. 

Adam S. Peden, Treasurer, Fountain Inn, S. C. 




Mrs. C. a. Shannon. 




>.*!?» 



^ 










Mrs. D. M. Peden. 




Rev. M. C. Britt. 




ORDER OF EXERCISES. 

PEDEN-ALEXANDER-MORTON--MORROW 

REUNION 

To be Held 

August 15th and i6tli, 1899. 

Fairview Presbyterian Church, 

Fairview, Greenville County, 

South Carolina. 

COMMITTEES. 

Executive, On Monument, 

On Invitations, On Addresses, 

On Music, On Reception, 

On Badges, On Relics, 

On Finance, On Entertainment. 

On Amusement for Children. 

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. 

Dr. H. B. Stewart, Chairman. 
J. T. Peden. D. D. Peden. 

Adam S. Peden. Jno. R. Harrison. 

COMMITTEE ON ADDRESSES. 

Rev. M. C. Britt, Chairman. 
Dr. H. B. Stewart. M. P. Nash. 

Jno. T. Peden. 

COMMITTEE ON INVITATIONS. 

Hon. Hooper Alexander, Chairman. 
Rev. M. C. Britt. Wm. D. Peden. 

Rev. R. B. Morrow. J. W. T. Peden. 

Miss Emma Morton. Thomas Peden. 

D. D. Peden. J. T. Peden. 

A. S. Peden. 



14 THE EEUNION. 

COMMITTEE ON MONUMENT. 

Capt. D. D. Peden, Chairman. 
W. Stewart Peden. J. Stewart Peden. 

L. Hayne Templeton. J. Wistar McDowell. 

COMMITTEE ON MUSIC. 

W. Hewell Britt, Chairman. 
Dr. H. Boardman Stewart. Miss Eugenia Dunbar Hewell. 
Mrs. Nannie Stewart Peden. Miss Lillie Helen Harrison. 

COMMITTEE ON RECEPTION. 

Hon. Jno. R. Harrison, Chairman. 
T. W. McDowell. J. Wistar Stewart. 

A. S. Peden. J. M. Peden. 

W. H. Britt. J. R. West. 

COMMITTEE ON BADGES. 

Adam S. Peden, Chairman. 
Dorroh D. Peden. Capt. David D. Peden. 

James F. Peden. 

COMMITTEE ON RELICS. 

James F. Peden, Chairman. 
M. White Fowler. Mrs. M. E. Britt. 

Mrs. E. M, Peden. G. Calvin Anderson. 

Jefferson D. McKittrick. 

COMMITTEE ON FINANCES. 

Adam S. Peden, Chairman. 
W. S. Peden. Jas. M. Peden. 

Jas. F. Peden. Jno. T. Peden. 

COMMITTEE ON AMUSEMENT FOR CHILDREN. 

Jones R. West, Chairman. 
W. S. Peden. Mrs. Calvin Anderson. 

Mrs. J. T. Peden. Mrs. Sue West. 



THE REUNION. 15 

COMMITTEE ON ENTERTAINMENT. 

Mrs. Caroline Peden, Chairman. 

Mrs. A. S. Peden. Mrs. H. B. Stewart. 

Mrs. Eliza Peden. Mrs. M. Emily Britt. 

Mrs. T. W. McDowell. Airs. M. Caroline Templeton. 

Mrs. Jas. F. Peden. Mrs. Ella Armstrong. 

Miss Isabella H. Stenhouse. Miss Effie Fowler. 

Miss Cathie Stewart. Miss Lillie H. Harrison. 



FIRST DAY— AUGUST 15th, 1899. 

1. Meeting called to order promptly at 10. o'clock a. m. by 
Hon. Jno. R. Harrison. — Welcome Address. 

2. L. M. Doxology — Old Hundred. 

3. Prayer — Rev. H. W. Burwell. 

4. Election Permanent Chairman. 

5. Election Secretary. 

6. Election Assistant Secretary and Historian. 

7. Psalm 148, 4th part — Autumn. 

8. Address — Hon. H. Alexander of Atlanta, Ga. Subject: 
"The Scotch-Irish and their Achievements." 

9. Hymn 119 — Coronation. 

10. Address — Rev. R. B. Morrow of Demopolis, Ala. Sub- 
ject : "Pedens and Presbyterianism." 

11. Hymn 235 — Protection. 

12. Adjourn with benediction by Rev. M. C. Britt, Sparta, 

Ga. 

Afternoon to be spent in social intercourse until 4.45 p. m. 

13. Meeting called to order at 4.45 p. m. Opened with 
music. 

14. UnveiHng of Monument. 

15. Music and Benediction. 

16. Adjourn until 9.00 a. m. tomorrow. 



1 6 THE REUNION. 

SECOND DAY— AUGUST i6th, 1899. 

1. Meeting called to order at 9.00 a. m. 

2. Prayer. 

3. Hymn 117 — Fount. 

4. Address — Capt. D. D. Peden of Houston, Texas. Sub- 
ject: "History of the Peden Family." 

5. Music — "Singing on the Old Church Ground," composed 
for the occasion by Rev. H. W. Burwell, pastor of Fairview 

church. 

6. Report of Treasurer and collection to defray expenses 
on Monument, and other necessary expenses. 

7. Hymn 121 — Loving Kindness. 

8. Address — Judge J. R. Alexander of Thomasville, Ga. 
Subject: "Reminiscences." 

9. Hymn 472 — Varina. 

10. Adjournment until 4.45 p. m. 

11. Meeting called to order. 

12. Music — "Holy is the Lord." 

13. Short addresses. 

14. Hymn composed by Rev. H. W. Burwell to Trinity. 

15. Adjourn sine die with benediction. 




PEDEN MONUMENT. 



THE REUNION. 

UNVEILING HYMN. 

(Tune — "Tenting- on the Old Camp Ground.") 

1 . We're gathered to-day on the old C4hiirch ground 

Where our forefathers dwelt ; 
And with songs of praise we bow before 
The Throne at which they knelt. 

Chorus. 
Many are the years that have past away 

Since they to Fairview came, 
And with joyful hearts we join today 

To sound abroad their fame. 
Singing to-day, singing to-day, 

Singing on the old Church ground. 

2. That they might serve and worship God 

As taught within His Word, 
Our fathers turned from Scotland's shore 
And fled the tyrant's sword. 
Chorus. 

3. 'Twas God's own hand that led them safe 

Across the ocean wide, 
And to this day His blessings free 
On their offspring abide. 
Chorus. 

4. Here where they worshipped, loved and died, 

A marble shaft we raise, 
That generations yet to come 

May know and sing their praise. 
Chorus. 

5. And now to God whose hand has led 

Us on in grace and love, 
Till we join the saints above. 
Our grateful thanks we'll raise through life, 

(Chorus after last verse.) 
There all our loved ones who've passed away 
We'll meet to part no more. 



17 



1 8 THE REUNION. 

And never a cloud shall cast its blight 
Across that shining shore. 

Safe in the- hope we're singing today, 
Singing on the old Church ground. 

Singing to-day, singing to-day. 

Singing on the old Church ground. 

PARTING HYMN. 

(Tune— "TWnity.") 

1 . Come brothers ere we part, 
Come, let us raise our hearts 

To our great God. 
We praise Him for His love 
Which like a heavenly dove 
Rests on us from above, 

Holy, adored. 

2. We praise Thee for the joy 
Which now our hearts employ 

While here we dwell. 
And as we turn away. 
Be, Lord, our strength and stay, 
That we from day to day 

Thy love may tell. 

3. For Thy rich blessings free, 
OurFather, now to Thee, 

Our thanks we bring. 
Give what Thou seest best, 
Then shall we all be blest, 
We bow to Thy behest. 

Thy praise we sing. 

4. As on we go through life, 
'Mid peace and joy, or strife, 

Be Thou our guide. 
Then may th' eternal light, 
So guide our souls aright. 
That we, in garments bright, 

Stand near Thy side. 



THE REUNION OF JS99. 

Fairvicw ! what a thrill ; what a crowd of tender memories 
cluster round thy name, thou cradle of the Peden race on 
America's soil. 

Nature seemed in accord with the clan Peden on the dates 
set for their great gathering in August, 1899. Never shone 
the sun brighter ; never was the blue dome of heaven clearer ; 
never the native forests in denser, greener leaf — even the 
woodland singers seemed inspired with the spirit of the occa- 
sion, and myriads of throats made the welkin ring. 

The bustling little town of Fountain Inn was filled with pil- 
grims, and every train heralded the arrival of some Peden, 
bound for the shrine of his or her forefathers. A busy com- 
mittee of reception threaded their way in and out among the 
crowd, distributing visitors among waiting hosts, or eagerlv 
scanning strange, new faces for the familiar lineaments that 
mark the Peden. Long lines of carriages with Pedens, and 
their belongings were speeding along over the excellent 
country road towards their Mecca (Fairview). Now and then 
meeting an empty, returning carriage, driven by some Peden 
host, who must be delayed for a word of greeting, or a speedy 
introduction to some strange kinsman. 

The drive is a little over four miles, then a swift curve 
brought the white columns of Fairview church into view, up 
the gently sloping hill, through an avenue of stately oaks 
and pines, to her wide, open portals, her snowy columns 
bathed in the mellow radiance of the August sunlight, she 
seemed like a mother welcoming home her long lost children. 
Away dov/n the hill slope to the left, under the shadow of the 
trees, gleamed the white tents of the encampment, edged by 
a white sanded road, which, like a silver ribbon seperated the 
camp of the living from the silent bivouac of the dead, within 
the grey rock-walled church yard, where generations of 
Pedens were at rest. 



20 THE REUNION. 

Near the center- stood mysterious in its drapery, the 
shrouded form of the Peden monument. 

After a brief rest at the temporary home, the writer and 
party strolled up the hill towards the church, and memory was 
busy with other days, other times, and other actors gone be- 
yond ken. Within the house of God busy committees were 
putting the finishing touches to their labor of love. The 
Pedens being Scotch-Irish-Americans, the decorations were 
emblematic of these peoples, and blended under the artist's 
hands into beautiful harmony. Those of Scotland and Ire- 
land combined with the stars and stripes of America, were 
draped from ceiling to floor, along the long galleries in fes- 
toons and sweeping folds of color. 

The sacred desk was banked with ferns, palms and potted 
plants of most luxurious growth and foliage, while rich colors 
lent their aid to the scene. The stairs and entrances were 
adorned and guarded by immense sheafs of Scottish thistle, 
so wo, to the unwary intruder, whose unconsecrated foot 
sought sacriligious hold, (to the Peden the pulpit is sacred). 
Above this, and covering the entire wall floated the colors of 
the three peoples, the purple red and orange of Scotland, the 
emerald green of Ireland, with the red, white and blue of the 
United States, formed a back-ground for the golden letters : 

JOHN AND PEGGY PEDEN, 

Founders of the House. 

PEDEN-ALEXANDER-MORTON-MORROW 

REUNION. 
1760. 1899. 

"The base and foundation of the church and nation is the 
family." 

Along the walls, galleries and pillars were life size portraits 
of the Pedens of past generations, among them their life-long 
pastor. Rev. Clark B. Stewart, Mrs. Rebecca (Peden) West- 
moreland, David Martin Peden, John McVey Peden, and 
others. 



THE EEUNION. 21 

The relic corner, too, was specially attractive. (The writer 
hopes that some clay a mortuary chapel may be built of iron 
or bronze within the walls of the church-yard, these relics all 
be collected and placed therein in perpetuity.) A stack of 
rifles borne through the Revolutionary war by the seven 
brothers Peden, their rusty hunting knives, bayonets, swords, 
spurs, powder horns. All were not there, as some have 
wandered away to far ofif States, or lost ; some old colonial 
coins when George the Third was King, one or two dating 
back and bearing the curled, cruel head of Charles First ; old 
bits of crockery, pewter spoons and pans, ancient mirrows. 
or "shaving glasses," old andirons and many articles of femi- 
nine handicraft, coverlets, quilts, fringes, laces, yellow with 
age, old pictures ; but missing was Peggy's treasured china 
with its varied history (it has passed out of the race) ; John's 
stick and his arm-chair, which David Morton made him, has 
since been found, but unattainable. Each article has its his- 
tory, its tradition, which if told would make a small volume. 
Leaving the relic corner with its hallowed memories, and 
passing out at the eastern door down the slope towards the 
camp .under the lengthening shadows, where the evening fires 
glowed the nostrils were greeted with savory odors of com- 
ing supper, such as the Peden housewives knew how to pre- 
pare. In the camp were gathered representatives from the 
houses of Mary, James, Thomas, John, Alexander and David, 
while were sadly m'issed any from the houses of Jane, Wil- 
liam and Samuel. 

The evening and far into the summer night was spent in 
that sweet communion and interchange of thought which is 
known only to those bound by ties of blood. 

On the morrow the arranged program was rendered as 
planned. The great church was filled to overflowing. Hon. 
John R. Harrison made the welcoming address in his usual 
stately, gracious manner which met the courteous response of 
Hon. Hooper Alexander. 



22 THE REUNION. 

Mr. Chairman, Kinsmen and Friends : 

I thank you heartily in behalf of the visiting kin for your 
words of welcome, but it is just as useless for me to respond 
as it was for you to put into words the generous welcome 
that breathes in the very atmosphere about this old church. 
I never felt more at home in my life than I did from the first 
moment I drove up to this splendid grove and began to be 
introduced around to all these magnificent, big-boned, blue- 
eyed Peden men and all this galaxy of handsome Peden 
women. 

Your reference, Mr. Chairman, to Rob Roy is especially in 
harmony with my feelings ever since I have been on this hill. 
He was a McGregor of the Campbell clan, but because of 
the turbulent spirit of the McGregors they had been forbidden 
to bear the name, and in the lowlands answered by law to the 
name of Campbell. Going up into the mountain from Glas- 
gow, a companion addressed him as Campbell, to which he 
angrily retorted as he crossed the highland border: "Camp- 
bell me no Campbells ; my foot is on my native heath and my 
name is McGregor." 

And so today I feel here that though I never was at Fair- 
view before, I am at home. And I want all you Pedens to 
imderstand that I am just as much a Peden as any of you. It 
is true that I bear another name and a name that I have no 
desire to drop even for the name of Peden, but all we Stew- 
arts and Harrisons and Vernons and Celys and Shannons 
and Salmons and all the rest have just this much advantage 
of you, that we come down from the good looking Peden 
girls, the best part of the family, and that's why we go by 
other names. 

I never saw so many people of the same name in my life. 
Down in my country, in Georgia, we have got a big batch of 
the Pedens, and good folks they are, too, and if you come to 
Georgia we can make very substantial additions to your lists 
of kinsfolks with our Casselses and Kings and Shannons and 
Gordons and Rounsavilles and Pegues and Salmons and 
lots of others ; but I am obliged to confess that this is the first 



THE REUNION. 23 

time I ever found enough kinsfolks to stock a whole county 
at one time. I never will get them straight. There is your 
Tom Peden and your Dick Peden, your long Jim Peden and 
your short Jim Peden, your Bill Peden and your Hugh Peden, 
and such another list of Pedens that I don't know how you 
ever found names enough to go round. 

. Verily, John Peden of old had the blessing of Abraham, 
w^hom God called out of the Chaldees and promised to make 
him father of many nations. Surely you are like the old 
darkev said about the patriarchs of old — the forgetfullest 
people on earth — for, said he, "dey forgot deir own chillun. 
Abraham forgot Isaac and Isaac forgot Jacob and Jacob 
forgot a hole lot of his boys." Verily the Pedens are a forget- 
ful race. 

Mr. Chairman, I thank you again for your cordial words of 
welcome. 

SCOTCH-IRISH AND THEIR ACHIEVEME^TTS. 

Mr. Alexander, having concluded his address in response 
to the welcome, entered into his speech on "The Scotch-Irish 
and their achievements." For almost an hour Mr. Alexander 
held his kinsmen spellbound with his eloquence, and eve^y 
word that came from his lips during his discoure fell upon 
attentive ears. 

In part he said : 

Every incident in human history is a separte knot in the 
intricate meshes of eternity's net work, the constituent cords 
of which reach forward, diverging to an unknown future. 
Every action of men, whether isolated from thicr fellows or 
in connection with them, is potent for influence, good or bad, 
on human civilization. Every separate occasion in the affairs 
of men bears fruit in its own future and finds the springs of 
its own occurrence ramifying back through uncounted ages 
of the past. 

The benificent Father of us all gave us every good and per- 
fect gift, whose covenant has stood through the ages to 
declare that He will show mercy unto thousands of those that 



24 THE EEUNIOIN. 

love Him and keep His commandments, has not seen fit to 
give us any glimpses of the future that lies before, nor allowed 
us to look forward and forecast what consequences shall flow 
from this coming together of men and women to do honoi 
to the memory of one sturdy man and one virtuous woman. 
But it is permitted that we look back and trace out the steps 
that have preceded and made possible this occasion. Let us 
this day exercise for a while the privilege of retrospection and 
find what lessons of the past may serve to make us better 
men and better women and stand as staunch witnesses to the 
future for virtues of an honorable past. 

If we seek backward into history for the mainspring of the 
present occasion, all the threads of research lead indeed to 
John Peden, Ulsterman, Presbyterian and elder, and to Peggy 
McDill, faithful helpmate to a worthy man and mother of 
many generations, proudest of^ce ever given to a woman. 
But we shall fail to measure up to the full significance of 
the present occasion if we stop with the frontiersman and go 
not back to a remoter past, rich as his own life, in every in- 
spiration for the patriot, the parent and the Christian. 

Go with me today and I will carry you back along the path- 
way of a peculiar people, who, whether we find them fighting 
for their firesides as Carolina Whigs, or staunchly standing 
amid the Shamrock boys of Ireland for the right to worship 
God according to the dictates of their own consciences, or 
leagued together in solemn covenant in the shadow of Scot- 
land's heathered hills, in every condition and under all cir- 
cumstances have steadfastly stood for the rights of mankind 
and sturdily maintained their faith toward God and men. 
From such a people and such stock John Peden drew his 
lineage. 

It is true indeed that no virtue and no glory of ancestry can 
redeem any present from its own unworthiness. It is true 
indeed that every present must stand or fall by its own record. 
True is it indeed that no present condition can find atone- 
ment for its own unworthiness by pointing to an illustrious 
past. It is always true that honorable ancestry only aggra- 



THE EEUNION. 25 

vates the blame for a degenerate present. But it is also true 
that it is at all times wise and proper to illuminate and study 
the virtues of past ages if we purpose in so doing to set them 
before us as a model to imitate for the future. 

In such a spirit and with such a purpose let us trace out 
today the history that drove stalwart John Peden to leave his 
home in Ireland, and like a patriarch of old, with his children 
and childrens' children around him, become part of that 
splendid band of empire builders who carved out of this 
primeval wilderness the corner-stone and pediment on which 
is still being upreared the temple of the best civilization of the 
nations. 

STORY OF PERSECUTION. 

The speaker then proceeded to develop the story of the 
persecution of the Presbyterians in Scotland, the great migra- 
tion and settlement of Scotch Presbyetrians in the northren 
province of Ireland at the invitation of King James, and the 
persecutions to which they were there subjected, the ingrati- 
tude which was shown by the Engish kings, parliament and 
church for their splendid services in building up law, order 
and industry there ; their final disappointment at the con- 
tinued persecutions and oppression in trade, schools, marri- 
ages and religion, and their final abandonment of Ireland in 
swarms for the American colonies. 

Speaking of their final disappointment in the conduct of the 
House of Hanover, the speaker read this striking passage 
from James Anthony Froude, the great English historian : 

"And now recommenced the Protestant emigration which 
robbed Ireland of the bravest defenders of English interests 
and peopled the American seaboard with fresh flights of Puri- 
tans. Forty thousand left Ulster on the destruction of the 
woolen trade. Many more were driven away by the first 
passing of the test act. The stream had slackened in the 
hope that the law would be altered. When the prospect was 
finally closed men of spirit and energy refused to remain in a 
country where they were held unfit to receive the rights of 



26 THE EEUNION. 

citizens ; and thenceforward, unitl the spell of tyranny was 
broken in 1782, annual ship loads of families poured them- 
selves out from Belfast and Londonderry, The resentment 
which they carried with them continued to burn in their new 
homes ; and in the war of independence England had no 
fiercer enemies than the grandsons and great grandsons ot 
the Presbyterians who had held Ulster against Tyrconnel." 

This reading finished, the speaker resumed his discourse, 
concluding as follows : 

And now, kinsmen, I have finished. Long as the story has 
been, I have had bare time to scantily outline the record of 
the Scotch in Ireland and their influence on America. Col- 
umns have been written on each several item of their spirit- 
stirring epic, and how could I hope with my feeble tongue to 
do justice to such a theme. Take it with you to your homes 
when we separate, and take with you the proud consciousness 
that you spring from honorable lives. Teach the story to 
your children and your childrens' children, to remostest gen- 
erations, and let them understand that the splendid heritage 
they have through John Peden and Peggy McDill entails on 
them the high duty to be worthy always of its faithful tra- 
ditions. 

No man knows what is in store for us yet. The future is 
big with uncertain issues. The peace that Ulster won under 
James was followed by the massacre of '41. Derry and 
Enniskilen and Boyne water gave no immunity against the 
eighteenth century. The tranquility of a subdued American 
wilderne£s did not exempt them from the high duties of Ala- 
mance and Mecklenburg and King's Mountain. 

The treaty of Paris had to be paid for by the statesmanship 
of the Constitution builders, and so today, with religious tole- 
ration established and old Fairview the center of a land of 
tranquil religious history, no man here may know where next 
it shall please God to try our souls as the souls of our ances- 
tors were tried before us. 

Let every man go to his respective home, resolved that 



THE EEUNION. 27 

when that day comes there shall not be written on our walls 
the tekel upharsin of an unworthy generation. 

At 4.30 o'clock in the afternoon the clan again gathered 
in the church, a vast conclave, for a few brief words, then, at 
the command of the Chairman, descended the hillside to the 
sacred enclosure where stood tall, mysterious in its white 
drapery, the Peden Monument, on the sunrise corner of the 
old, brick church, in the very heart of the solemen, last home 
of many Pedens. 

During the singing of the unveiling hymn the veil was 
dropped by the four dear little girl cousins selected for the 
honor. These lovely little ones shall go down into Peden 
history, in letters of living gold, "fair as poet's dreaming" are 
they ; bonny, rosey, bright-eyed, lassies of the House of Alex- 
ander: Jane Armstrong, Lucy Allen Peden, Lauribelle Peden, 
Lulu Templeton. 

The monument stood revealed; a marble shaft pointing 
heavenward, rising sixteen feet from the pedestal, being four 
feet broad at the base, a pedestal of some feet between base 
and shaft, on which is engraved in large letters the name 

PEDEN. 
This on the north side, and above it is the dedication: 

In Memoriam. 

"This monument is placed by their grateful descendants, 
gathered from far and near, and who are as the sands by the 
seashore, and stars of heaven for multitude." 

August 17, 1899. 

On the eastern or sunrise side: 

John and Margaret Peden, 

Founders of the House in South Carolina. 

1768 . 1899. 



28 THE REUNION. 

Born in Ireland. 

Emigrated to America. 

Died in -Chester, S. C. 

"Lord thou hast been our dwelling place in all 
generations." Ps. 90:1. 

[Said to have been the last audible words of John Peden.] 

On the southside and overlooking long rows of Peden 
tombs, are placed the arms of the adopted State — South Car- 
olina. That grand old commonwealth, whose freedom from 
tyranny was dearer to John Peden and his seven sons than 
life itself. All of whom, as well as the three sons-in-law, and 
numerous grandsons, bore arms in defense during the dark 
days of the American Revolution. As is fitting, the arms 
are entwined and surrounded with the thistle of Scotland, 
the shamrock of Ireland, while in the midst, proud and 
stately, stands the imperishable palm. 

While on the western side, facing the broad iron gates, 
presented by Capt. D. D. Peden, are inscribed the names of 
the children of John and Margaret Peden. 

SONS OF PEDEN. 

James. 

Thomas. 

John. 

William. 

Samuel. 

Alexander. 

David. 

DAUGHTERS OF PEDEN. 

Mary (Peden) Alexander. 

Jane (Peden) Morton-Morrow. 

Elizabeth (Peden) Gaston. 
These, for want of correct information at the time, are not 
placed in their proper order, later and authentic information 
gives the following table : 



THE EEUXIOX. 



29 



Mary, born 1732; died . 

James, born 1734; died 181 1. 

Jane, born 1737; died . 

Thomas, born 1743; died 1834. 
William, born 1749; died 1817. 
Elizabeth, born 1750; died 1824. 
John, born 1752; died 1810. 
Samuel, born 1754; died 1835. 
Alexander, born 1756; died 1841. 
David, born 1760; died 1823. 

The second day of the reunion was intended to be strictly 
historical, but owing to the enforced absence of Rev. R. B. 
Morrow, the time allotted to his theme was courteously given 
to Rev. S. R. Preston, D. D., of Chicora College, Greenville, 
S. C, who spoke fluently for Christian Education. 

Capt. David D. Peden, acknowledged chief and leader of 
the clan, in his usual happy, courtly style gave the history of 
the race. 

ADDRESS OF CAPT. D. D. PEDEN. 

My Friends and Kinspeople : 

Your committee on addresse has assigned to me the task 
of writing a history of the Peden family. I doubt not this 
work could have been done in a much more attractive and 
interesting manner by a number of those who are present 
here today. However that may be, I will do the best I can 
and bespeak your kind indulgence. 

Tradition tells us that the name Peden appears in the 
annals of the old Culdee church, on the western coast of Scot- 
land, located on the little island lona, and near to Ayrshire, 
the home of some of the Pedens to this day. The Culdee 
church is said to have been one of the purest types of the 
Protestant religion. In fact, it is claimed to be a continua- 
tion of the Apostolic church, (See history of "The Culdee 
Church" by Rev. T. V. Moore, D. D., published by our com- 
mittee at Richmond, Va.) The Peden referred to is said to 



30 THE REUNION. 

have been a shepherd, an honest and honorable calhng. What 
relationship there is between the Shepherd Peden and our 
ancestors is, of course, conjecture, though we may reasonably 
suppose we are his descendants. 

The first authentic mention of the Peden name, that I have 
been able to find, after considerable research and correspond- 
ence, was during the persecution of the Protestant Christ- 
ians by the Roman Catholics under the Stuarts in Scotland, 
a period embracing the year 1680, when "The Declaration and 
Testimony of the True Presbyterian, Anti-prelatic, Anti- 
erastian. persecuted party in Scotland," and known as the 
"Sanquhar Declaration," was adopted. (See page 31, Trad. 
Covenanters.) 

The Pedens were an Ayeshire family, in the west of Scot- 
land, (where to this day it is still quite a common name). In 
the middle of the sixteenth century a number of the Peden 
families went to the North of Ireland to escape the persecu- 
tion then raging in Scotland. About the beginning of the 
seventeenth century some of these famiHes and their descend- 
ants returned to their native land, some remained in the land 
of their adoption, while our ancestors sought civil and re- 
ligious freedom in the wilds of the American forests. 

I will leave this branch of the subject for the moment, re- 
turning to the religious persecution of Scotland. Rev. Alex- 
ander Peden, sometimes called "Peden the Prophet," bore a 
conspicuous part during the times referred to in 1680, in 
encouraging the Protestants to be steadfast in adhering to 
their faith and doctrine, many of whom, in order to do so, 
had to endure many hardships and deprivations, even martyr- 
dom. During the reign of the Stuarts the persecution was 
both cruel and relentless, under the inhumane Claverhouse 
and his minions. In order to worship God according to the 
dictates of their consciences, they had to meet oftentimes at 
night or in the dense forests and on the wild mountain sides. 
Their ministers, especially, were hunted like wild beast and 



THE EEUXIOX. 31 

had to take refuge in caves, caverns and the moss hags and 
mountains. 

The following is taken from his "Life and Death," pub- 
lished in Belfast, in 1790: 

''Alexander Peden, late minister of the gospel at Glenluce, 
in Galloway, who died the 28th of January, 1686, being about 
sixty years of age. He was born in the parish of Sorn, in 
1626, in the Sb-erififdom of Ayr. After that he passed his 
courses in college, he was employed for some time to be 
school master, precentor and session clerk to Mr. John Guth- 
rie, minister of the gospel at Tarboltown. He had no family 
and was never married. He was a man of sincere and deep 
piety ; he was a brave man and possesed the courage of his 
convictions in a very remarkable degree." 

TEADITIOXS OF THE COVEXAXTERS. 

I will read some extracts from a little volume, the title of 
which is "Traditions of the Covenanters," by the Rev. Robert 
Simpson, Sanquhar, Scotland : 

"About the commencement of the persecution in Scotland, 
nearly three hundred and fifty ministers were ejected from 
their churches, in the severity of winter, and driven with their 
families, to seek shelter among the peasants. 

"The desolation and distress of many a family, after the 
standard of the gospel was reared in the field, were unutter- 
able. The tender hearted wife knew not how it fared with 
her husband traversing the waste, or lodged in the cold, damp 
cave ; and many a disconsolate hour did she spend in weeping 
over her helpless children, who had apparetnly nothing before 
them but starvation. The affectionate husband, far from his 
dearly cherished home, was full of the bitter remembrance of 
his beloved family, and picturing to himself their many wants 
which he could not now relieve, and their many sorrows 
which he could not soothe, and the many insults from which 
he could not defend them. But, notwithstanding all this, they 
had peace ; for God was with them. And though their hearts 
sometimes misgave them, yet, through the grace of Him with 



32. 



THE REUNION. 



whose cause they were identified, their faith recovered its 
proper tone, and their despondency vanished. 

"One of the most renowned of those worthies who per- 
sisted in preaching the gospel in the wilds of his native land, 
at the constant hazard of his life, was the venerable Alexan- 
der Peden, whose history is familiar in almost every cottage 
in Scotland. Every incident of any importance in the life of 
this good man has already been collected, so that scarcely 
anything new can now be added. Still there is to be found a 
stray anecdote of him here and there in the romote parts of 
the country, and which, for his sake, may be deemed worthy 
of record. Few persons possessed a more saintly character 

than did this man of God. He was full of faith and of the 
Holy Ghost. Entirely devoted to his Master's service, he 

counted not his own life dear unto him, that he might main- 
tain the cause of truth in the face of the abounding iniquity of 
a degenerate age. His solitary wanderings, his destitutions, 
his painful perseverance in preaching the gospel, the peril in 
which he lived, his prayerful spirit, and the homeliness of his 
manners, greatly endeared liim to the people among whom he 
sojourned. He had no home, and therefore he spent much of 
his time in the fields. The caves by the mountain stream, the 
dense hazel wood in the deep glens, the feathery brackens on 
the hill, the green corn when it was tall enough to screen him 
from observation, afforded him by turns, when necessary, a 
retreat from his pursuers, and a place for communing with 
his God. 

"On one such occasion he had fixed his eye on a cottage 
far off in the waste in which lived a godly man with whom he 
had frequent intercourse, and there being nothing within view 
calculated to excite alarm he resolved to pay his friend a visit. 
With his staff in his hand he wended his way to the low 
grounds to gain the track which led to the house. He reached 
it in safety, was hospitably entertained by the kind landlord, 
and spent the time with the household in pious conversation 
and prayer till sunset. Not daring to remain all night, he left 
them to return to his dreary cave. As he was trudging along 



THE REUNION. 33 

the soft foot path and suspecting no harm, all at once several 
moss troopers appeared coming over the bent and advancing 
directly upon him. He fled across the moor, and when 
about to pass the torrent that issues from Glendyne, he per- 
ceived a cavity underneath its bank that had been scooped 
out by the running stream into which he instinctively crept 
and stretching himself at full length lay hidden beneath the 
grassy coverlet waiting the result. In a short time the dra- 
goons came up, and having followed close in his track, 
reached the brook at the very spot where he was ensconced. 
As the heavy horses came thundering over the smooth turf, 
on the edge of the little rivulet, the foot of one of them sank 
quite through the hollow covering under which the object of 
their pursuit lay. The hoof of the animal grazed his head, 
and pressed his bonnet deep into the. soft clay at his pillow, 
and left him entirely uninjured. His persecutors having no 
suspicion that the poor fugitive was so near them, crossed the 
stream with all speed, and bounded away in quest of him 
whom God had thus hidden as in his pavilion, and in the 
secret of his tabernacle. A man hke Peden, who read the 
hand of God in everything, could not fail to see and to ac- 
knowledge that Divine goodness, which was so eminently 
displayed in this instance ; and we may easily conceive with 
what feelings he would return to his retreat in the wood, and 
with what cordiality he would send up the voice of thanks- 
giving and praise to the God of his life. 

A MEMORABLE DELIVERANCE. 

"It is recorded in the Scots Worthies that he was favored 
with a memorable deliverance from the enemy who were pur- 
suing him and a small company with him somewhere in Gallo- 
way after he came out of Ireland. When their hope of escape 
was almost cut ofif, he knelt down among the heather and 
prayed, Twine them about the hill. Lord, and cast the lap of 
Thy cloak over old Sandy and these poor things and we will 
keep it in remembrance and tell it to the commendation of 
Thy goodness, pity and compassion what Thou didst for us at 



34 THE REUNION. 

such a time.' Thus he prayed, and his suppUcation was re- 
corded in heaven, for he had no sooner risen from his knees 
than dense volumes of snow-white mist came rolHng down 
from the summit of the mountains and shrouded them from 
the sight of their pursuers who, Hke the men of Sodom when 
they were smitten with bUndness, could not grope their way 
after them." 

I quote again from the same book : 

''This occasion is related by old Patrick Walker in the fol- 
lowing words : 'After this, in Auchengrouch muirs in Niths- 
dale, Capt. John Mathison and others being with him, they 
were alarmed with a report that the enemy were coming fast 
upon him, so they designed to put him in some hole, and 
cover him with heather. But not being able to run hard by 
reason of age, he desired them to forbear a little until he 
prayed, when he said: 'Lord, we are ever needing at Thy 
hand, and if we had not Thy command to call upon Thee in 
the day of our trouble, and Thy promise of answering us in 
the day of our distress, we wot not what would become of us ; 
if Thou hast an}^ more work for us in Thy world, allow us the 
lap of Thy cloak this day again ;"and if this be the day of our 
going olT the stage, let us walk honestly of¥, and comfortably 
through, and our souls will sing forth Thy praises to eternity 
for what thou hast done to us, and for us.' When ended he 
ran alone a little, and came quickly back, saying, 'Lads, the 
bitterest of this blast is over ; we will be no more troubled 
with them this day.' Foot and horse came the length of 
Andrew Clark's, in Auchengrouch, where they were covered 
with a dark mist. When they saw it they roared like fleshly 
devils, as they were crying out : 'There's the confounded mist 
again ! we cannot get these execrable whigs pursued for it.' " 

BANISHED TO AMEEICA. 

I could continue to quote many other interesting incidents, 
but I must not consume too much of your time, as some of 
you, at least, are perhaps familiar with them. I will mention 



THE REUNION. 35 

one incident taken from the "Life and Death of Alexander 
Peden." 

During the time of the persecution, he and a number of 
covenanters were captured by the enemy and were sentenced 
to banishment to the EngUsh plantations in America. "When 
brought from the Bass (prison) to Edinburgh and sentence 
passed on him and sixty others, in December, 1678, to go to 
America, never to be seen in Scotland again under the pain 
of death. He several times said : 'The ship was not yet built 
that would take him or these prisoners to Virginia, or any 
other of the English plantations in America.' When they 
were on ship board, in the road of Leith, there was a report 
that their enemies were to send down Thumbikins to keep 
them from rebelling. At the report of this they were greatly 
discouraged; he came above deck and said, 'Why are you so 
cast down ? You need not fear there will be Thumbikins nor 
Bootekins come here ; lift up your hearts and heads, for the 
day of your redemption draweth near ; if we are once in Lon- 
don we will all be set at liberty.' This remarkable prophecy 
was literally fulfilled, for when the skipper who was to take 
them from London to Virginia came to see them, they being 
represented to him as thieves, robbers and evil doers, he re- 
fused to take them aboard. When he found they were grave 
Christian men, banished for Presbyterian principles, he said, 
'I will sail the sea with none such.' In this confusion, that 
one skipper would not receive them and the other would keep 
them no longer, it being expensive to maintain them, they 
were all set at liberty. Both skippers, it is said, 'got compli- 
ments in London for releasing them.' They went to Ireland 
and then returned to Scotland, in face of the threat that, if he 
did he would be punished with death, thus evincing courage 
and devotion to duty that cannot be surpassed. Many other 
thrilling and even marvelous incidents could be given regard- 
ing this remarkable man." 

I must forbear, however, and return to our immediate 
ancestors. You have already been told that some of the 
Pedens came from Ireland to America to seek religious and 



36 THE REUNION. 

civil liberty. Among that number were our ancestors, John 
Peclen and wife, Margaret. We are assembled here today 
to pay homage to their memory. We have representatives 
here from the Pacific to the Atlantic oceans, all the way they 
have come, from the golden shores of California, on the 
Pacific, to dear old South Carolina, whose shores are washed 
by the Atlantic, and which was the home of these aged saints. 
Their ashes lie buried in her bosom. I suppose there is 
scarcely a State or Territory in the United States that does 
not contain descendants of John Peden. 

SETTLED IN PENNSYLVANIA. 

Tradition tells us that he settled in Pennsylvania, probably 
Chester County. Our ancesters, having several sons who 
had preceded them to this country, and settled in what in now 
Spartanburg County, S. C, they and other members of their 
families came and settled in the same place, not far from old 
Nazereth Presbyterian church, about the year 1768. (See Dr. 
Howe's "History of Presbyterianism in South Carolina," but 
more particularly the centennial celebration of old Fairview 
church, in September, 1886; specially the address of our kins- 
man. Rev. M. C. Britt, and an historical sketch by Mr. Sav- 
age.) 

It is sad to relate, that these venerable people, with their 
seven sons, three sons-in-law and their families, were not 
granted the privilege of enjoying the civil liberties they had 
traveled so far and risked so much to obtain. They had 
scarcely settled in their new homes before the Revolutionary 
War was begun. We are told that all of the sons and sons- 
in-law were Revolutionary soldiers. I have heard also that 
the venerable John was himself a soldier. I have some doubt 
on this point as tradition tells us that by reason of the incur- 
sions of the Indians and Tories, the old people, with the 
younger members of their families, refugeed to Chester 
County, near the old "Catholic Presbyterian Church," for 
safety. At the close of the war in 1783, we are told also, on 
account of their age, they remained in Chester County after 



THE EEUNION. 



37 



the close of the Revokitionary War, where they died and 
were buried near the old "Catholic Presbyterian Church." 
The others returned and settled near this church, with the 
exception of the second son, Thomas, who returned to and 
settled near the old homestead in Spartanburg. Some years 
afterwards, one son, probably Samuel, and the second 
daughter, Jane, with her second husband, Mr. Samuel ^lor- 
row, moved to Alabama. All of the ten children, except 
Elizabeth, who married \Vm. Gaston, raised large families. 
The descendants of the Pedens, Alexanders, Mortons and 
Morrows are almost as the sands by the sea shore in numbers. 

NEAELY ALL WEKE FAEMEKS. 

For the most part, the descendants are, as were their 
honored fathers before them, engaged in agricultural pursuits. 
It is said that when our ancestors (to honor whose memory 
we have erected the handsome monument in the old cemetery 
near by where the ashes of so many of our loved ones are 
buried) left the coast of Ireland to seek their homes in this 
country that the father of us all set his face steadfastly 
towrads the west, refusing all entreaties to take a parting 
look at the Emerald Isle as it faded out of view. On the con- 
trary, our mother, ]\Iargaret, who is said to have been a beau- 
tiful as well as a good woman, shed tears as the isle, which had 
been her home, sank out of sight behind the eastern horizon. 
The passage over the broad Atlantic was a long and tiresome 
one at best in those days, and their voyage was specially disa- 
greeable on account of severe weather and lasted many days. 

Our ancestors were cabin passengers on this memorable 
trip from the Emerald Isle to the then comparatively new 
world, and they fared of course much better than did the 
steerage passengers on this long and stormy passage. 

I exceedingly regret that both time and lack of informa- 
tion prevent me from giving somewhat in detail, at least, brief 
sketches of each of the ten children of our venerable and ven- 
erated ancestors. Their record, however, is a glorious one — 
one in which we can take a pardonable pride. First, and best 



38 THE KEUNION. 

of all, they were God-fearing men and women ; all strong ad- 
herents- to the "true Presbyterian, Anti-Prelatic, Anti-Eras- 
tian, persecuted party of Scotland," of which "Peden the 
Prophet" was such a determined and fearless advocate and to 
which church, I presume, at least nine-tenths of their descen- 
dants are still adherents. 

THE OTHER TENTH. 

The above remarks, I wish it distinctly understood, means 
no reflection to the remaining tenth. I know of my personal 
knowledge of some of our kinspeople who have united with 
other Protestant churches in the communities to which they 
had moved. Others, again, married into families of other 
denominations and in that way became separated from us. 
Others, perhaps, joined other churches through choice. Just 
so long as they are Christians and are fighting under the ban- 
ner of the Cross, we are all brethren, friends, kinsmen, and 
are all most affectionately and cordially welcome to this love- 
feast of relatives. If there is a family in this great and glori- 
ous countfy of ours ( the United States of America) who can 
honestly and truly feel a glow of pride in the part taken by 
their Revolutionary sires in the memorable struggle that won 
our independence from England, that family is the Peden 
family. "There are others," but we yield the palm to none 
unless they can successfully prove their claim. 

Seven sons and three sons-in-law, and a number of grand- 
sons, and probably the old father, from one family, is a record 
not easily beaten. Several of the sons and grandsons, and 
perhaps sons-in-law, held commissions. 

A REVOLUTIONARY HERO. 

My grandfather, David Peden, was the youngest of the ten 
children, and, no doubt, a private soldier. There is not a 
particle of doubt that he took an active part in the revolution 
that brought independence to the United States. I have here 
the positive proof, it being a grant from the State of South 
Carolian for nine hundred acres of land, signed by Governor 



THE EEUXIOX. 39 

Charles Pinckney, 20th of February, 1792. Rabun Creek, the 
head-waters of which you cross coming from Fountain Inn 
here, runs through the property, on which stream one of the 
first grist and saw mills erected in this part of the country was 
built by him. He and his two wives are buried in the ceme- 
tery near the monument erected in honor of his father and 
mother, John and Margaret Peden. He was the father of 
thirteen children, my father, Rev. Andrew G. Peden, being 
next to the youngest. For a more detailed history of the ten 
children of John and Margaret Peden, and their descendants, 
we will have to look to our historian, who will take up Peden 
History, etc. 

MOEE FEDEXS AND PADEXS. 

Before concluding I wish to say that there are a number of 
Pedens and Padens in the United States who are doubtless 
related to us, but who are not descendants of our ancestors. 
John and Margaret Peden. There are Pedens and Padens in 
Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Texas 
and perhaps other States, whose ancestors came direct from 
Scotland. I have in my possesion a copy of a singular letter 
written by Dr. Alexander D. Peden, giving a graphic and 
tragic account of the great flood on the coast of Texas about 
tewnty-four years ago. 

AX EXTIEE CITY ENGULFED. 

Indianola at that time was a prosperous seaport town ; in 
fact, was a rival of the city of Galveston in point of commerce, 
trade, etc. The city was literally swept from the face of the 
earth — ^the waters from the Gulf were driven by the fury of 
the winds many miles inland. Dr. Peden's family was on his 
ranch (or farm) some distance from the city. His wife and 
children were drowned, except three children. One son was 
assistant keeper of the Hghthouse, one daughter was absent 
(at school, perhaps), one small son took refuge in a cedar tree 
which was about to be submerged. Seeing his pet pony 
swimming by, he called to him. The pony turned and came 



40 THE REUNION. 

immediately under the tree and the boy dropped on his back, 
and was thus miraculously carried to a place of safety. Dr. 
Peden was serving on a jury some distance from home, con- 
sequently was unable to aid his family in making their escape. 
Speaking of himself, Dr. Peden says he "sprang from an 
ancient family of Pedens in Scotia's isle." 

Further says he was "the son of Alexeander Peden, de- 
ceased, merchant of Wilmington, N. C. He, in turn, was son 
of Mingo Peden, merchant, in Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland," 
and adds that he had been at the grave of Alexander Peden, 
"the prophet in Scotland. A thorn bush grows at his head, as 
he prophesied." Archie Hoye, Chester, S. C, says the grave 
is at Cumnock, Scotland, and that two thorn bushes grow at 
the head of his grave, one bearing a white and the other a red 
bloom. Mr. Hoye's statement is borne out by books from 
Scotland. I could continue to give various interesting inci- 
dents, sketches, etc., but time admonishes me that I must give 
way to those whose addresses will be much more interesting 
than this historical sketch. 

A PLEA FOR EDUCATION. 

Before taking my seat, however, I want to beg, insist and 
entreat one and all to pay more attention to the education of 
your children. Out of our vast relationship, running into the 
thousands, we should and ought to have representatives in all 
the branches and walks of Hfe. We should aspire to have a 
president, or, better, presidents of the United States, presi- 
dents of colleges, universities, governors of States, United 
States Senators, memebrs of congress and legislatures, men 
eminent in theology, law and physics, science, arts, mechanics 
and in other walks of life. 

The farmer's life is an honorable one, none more so, but 
we must not be content to be all farmers. Recognize talent 
in your children and encourage them to develop it ; for 
heaven's sake, don't suppress it ; don't discourage them by 
belittling their efforts. I haven't the least doubt but there 
have been Pedens and descendants by other names, if they 



THE EEUNION. 41 

had been encouraged and educated, could and would have 
occupied the positions mentioned above. They simply lacked 
the opportunity, and the lack of a good education barred them 
from the opportunity. 

In conclusion, I want to mention a little incident that 
occurred within a short distance of this spot, quite recently. I 
was invited to visit one of our kinsmen. The weather was 
intensely hot ; we were sitting in the yard in the shade of the 
trees. The father directed his little son to step across the 
road and see if the peas sown in the corn were coming up. 
The little fellow promptly obeyed. Returning, he plucked a 
"may pop" about the size of a large hen's egg. He reported 
"the peas are coming up all right, sir." He then commenced 
cutting into the "may pop," and in a few moments had fash- 
ioned it into a perfectly proportioned basket. He held it up 
by the deUcate handle and looked it over. He then began 
work on the outer sides of the basket. I was watching him, 
and the thought occurred to me that, boy-like, he was going 
to cut it to pieces, but he didn't ; instead he was ornamenting 
it, by tracing a vine and leaves into the green rind of the "may 
pop." I then asked to see it. He seemed surprised that I 
should notice what he regarded so simple a thing. I re- 
marked to the father : "There is talent in that boy, you ought 
to encourage him." 

A YOUNG GENIUS. 

The father then told the boy to bring and show me the 
"scraper" he had made. He soon returned with the front 
wheels of his toy wagon, an iron rod, a piece of chain, a piece 
of discarded steel, that had been used by the convicts in work- 
ing the roads. With this material he had constructed a mini- 
ature road machine that does beautiful work. The little fel- 
low showed me a little sidewalk or roadway he had built at 
right angels to the road and adjoining the front yard. The 
work is there to show for itself. In passing the home of Mr. 
James Peden going from here, look on the far side of the 
yard, and you will see as perfect a little road bed as Mr. San- 



42 



THE EEUNION. 



ders, manager of the convicts, can construct. The lesson is: 
Encourage and educate the boys and girls. 

Upon the conclusion of his address Capt. Peden introduced 
little Lee Peden to the members of the, family, and the little 
fellow was given an ovation by his kinspeople. 

The great reunion of 1899 is now of the past. Many have 
crossed over beyond our ken, in the few years that have inter- 
vened, some sleep in faraway tombs, some rest under the 
shade of the trees at Fairview, under the shadow of the monu- 
ment they helped to rear, while the march "Homeward" and 
Heavenward !" is steady — there are equally, or more, tiny 
crafts launched on the turbulent ocean of this life, to fill up 
the vacant places, and advance with the progressive spirit of 
the New Century. 



MINUTES OP THE 
PEDEN--ALEXAMDER--MORTON-MORROW REUNION. 

Fairview, S. C, August 15th, 1899. 

The reunion exercises of Peden, Alexander, Morton, Mor- 
row was called to order at 10 o'clock a. m., by Hon. Hooper 
Alexander, of Atlanta, Ga., who nominated Hon. Jno. R. 
Harrison as chairman. He was unanimously elected and 
made a capital address of welcome ; so we felt at once so per- 
fectly at home that "it was good to be there." The meeting 
began with grand Old Hundred to the long meter doxology ; 
then a prayer by the pastor of Fairview church. Rev. H. W. 
Burwell, (who, while not of the Peden race, has been closely 
identified with its interests). After which the elction of a per- 
manent chairman was in order, resulting in the unimous elec- 
tion of Hon. John R. Harrison, of Fairview, South Carolina. 

Then the following vice-presidents were elected from the 
different States represented : 

1st — Rev. R. B. Morrow, Demopolis, Ala. 

2d— J. W. T. Peden, Van Vleet, Miss. 

3d — Capt. D. D. Peden, Houston, Tex. 

4th— M. S. Paden, Woodstock, Ga. 

5th — Louis Salmons, Valley Center, Cal. 

6th — Judge J. Wister Stewart, Fairview, S. C. 

[None of the other States having representatives present, 
the election of vice-presidents was discontinued.] 

On motion, W. M. Stenhouse, of Sterling, S. C, was elected 
Secretary, and Eleanor M. Hewell, of Greenville, S. C, was 
elected as Assistant Secretary and Historian. 

After the election of permanent officers Dr. H. B. Stew- 
art, of Fairview, S. C, presented to the Reunion a beautiful 
gavel, made from a root of a black walnut tree taken from 
"Alexander Peden's place." The venerable tree was planted 
by him, over a century ago, soon after he located on his land. 



44 THE REUNION. 

Dr. Stewart is the present owner and a great-great-grandson- 
in-law of Alexander Peden. 

His words were very appropriate in presenting the gavel, 
finding an echo in all our hearts, while he held the full atten- 
tion of the large gathering. A well chosen hymn to Autumn 
followed, after which the Reunion had the pleasure of hearing 
Hon. Hooper Alexander, of Atlanta, Ga. Subject : "The 
Scotch-Irish and their Achievements." [Hon. Hooper is a 
typical Alexander. A man who has given the clan every rea- 
son to be extremely proud of his achievements in the legal 
profession.] His address was received with enthusiastic ap- 
plause, and followed by grand, inspiring old Coronation, 
"All hail the power of Jesus name." 

The Rev. R. B. Morrow was unavoidably absent, therefore 
the Reunion was deprived of the pleasure of seeing and hear- 
ing this gifted son of the Church. His subject, "The Pedens 
and Presbyterianism" was omitted and the time allotted used 
otherwise. 

The closing hymn was sung to Protection. The Chairman 
then announced that at the afternoon session we would unveil 
the Monument, and as soon as the unveiling took place the 
afternoon session would be declared adjourned. Meeting 
then adjourned with benediction by pastor. 

(Signed.) W. M. Stenhouse, 

Secretarv. 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 

Meeting called to order by Chairman, Hon. Jno. R. Harri- 
son. After singing the Chairman announced that the Re- 
union would repair to the church yard to witness and take 
part in the unveiling of the Peden Monument. 

After the unveiling the meeting is adjourned until 9 a. m. 
tomorrow. 

(Signed.) W. M. Stenhouse, 

Secretary. 



The reunion. 45 

SECOND DAY— MORXING SESSION. 

Fairview, S. C, August i6th, 1899. 

Chairman Hon. Jno. R. Harrison called the Reunion to 
order at 9 o'clock a. m. Meeting opened with prayer, after 
which we sung the old famihar hymn, 117, to the tune Fount. 

The Chairman then introduced Capt. D. D. Peden, of 
Houston, Texas, to whom the Reunion is very much in- 
debted for its success. Capt. Peden was listened to with 
great interest and pleasure while he traced the Peden familv 
back to an early century. 

The choir then rendered very beautifully the hymn com- 
posed for the occasion by Rev. H. W. Burwell, "Singing on 
the Old Church Ground." 

Dr. S. R. Preston, President of Chicora College, Greenville, 
S. C, then gave a very able talk on Christian Education, 
filling the space allotted to the venerable Judge John R. Alex- 
ander, of Thomasville, Ga., who was debarred from coming 
to the Reunion by the infirmities of age, so his "Reminisen- 
ces" were omitted, to our keen regret. 

Reports were called for and Adam S. Peden, treasurer, 
read his, which was quite satisfactory, therefore unanimously 
adopted by the Reunion. 

Meeting then adjourned to meet at 3.45 p. m. Benediction 
pronounced by Rev. S. R. Preston, D. D., of Chicora College, 

Greenville, S. C. 

(Signed.) W. M. Stenhouse, 

Secretary. 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 

Meeting called to order by the Chairman, Hon. Jno. R. 
Harrison, and opened with singing of the grand tune of 
"Loving Kindness," and it was the pleasure of all to hear ad- 
dresses by the following: J. Ripley Westmoreland, of Wood- 
rufif, S. C, and Rev. John C. Bailey, Jr., of Summerton, S. C. 
[These two gifted young men represent the present genera- 



46 THE REUNION. 

tion, and give bright promise of future usefulness in their 
professions.] They were followd briefly by Col. J. A. Hoyt 
(editor of the oldest newspaper in Greenville County, "The 
Mountaineer," which has been in existence for nearly a cen- 
tury, under several names. He is also of Sctoch-Irish 
descent, therefore in strong sympathy with the Peden race). 

Dr. H. B. Stewart made a feeling response to his call and 
paid a loving tribute to the memory of one of the best beloved 
pastors of old Fairview church, who in life and death was a 
faithful shepherd of the flock, Rev. Clark B. Stewart. 

Adam S. Peden then read, by request, a letter from the 
venerable and beloved Mark S. Peden, of Woodstock, Ga., 
stating that his advanced age only kept him away, and re- 
quested to be kindly remembered to all present. 

The closing address, which was a grand burst of oratory, 
was given by Hon. Hooper Alexanded, after which the part^ 
ing hvmn, composed by Rev. H. W. Burwell, was sung stand- 
ing. The Chairman announced the grand Reunion of Peden 
Alexander, Morton, Morrow, adjourned to meet another day. 

Rev. H. W. Burwell pronounced the last benediction. 
(Signed.) W. M. Stenhouse, 

Secretary. 

These minutes are inserted as part of the Reunion of 1899. 
They will be corrected and adopted by the next Reunion of 
Peden, Alexander, Morton, Morrow. 

Eleanor M. Hewell, 
Assistant Sec. and Clan Historian. 



LIST OF CONTRIBITORS TO THE PEDEN MONIMENT. 
Eairview, South Carolina, 1899. 

Capt. D. D. Peden, Houston, Texas $144 00 

E. A. Peden, Houston, Texas 50 00 

D. D. Peden, Jr., Houston, Texas 37 50 

Allen Vernon Peden, Houston, Texas 12 qn 

John M. Peden, Hubbard, Texas 5 00 

J. W. T. Peden, Van Vleet, Miss 5 00 

M. W. Fowler, Fountain Inn, S. C 50 

J. C. Bailey, Greenville, S. C 5 00 

Airs. Harriet Peden, Westminster, S. C 3 00 

Mrs. L. M. Peden, Westminster, S. C 50 

Mrs. Bettie Wasson, Westminster, S. C 50 

Mrs. Corrie Anderson, Westminster, S. C i (X) 

Mrs. E. M. Peden, Fairview, S. C 5 00 

Miss I. H. Stenhouse, Fairwiew, S. C 5 00 

T. W. Peden, Troy, Miss i 00 

J. T. Peden, Graycourt, S. C 5 00 

J. F. Peden, Fairview, S. C 5 00 

Mrs. A. G. Peden, Pedenville, Ga i 00 

Mrs. Dora Sullivan, Pedenville, Ga i 00 

Hon. Hooper Alexander, Atlanta, Ga 1000 

L. H. Templeton, Fairview, S. C 2 00 

Mrs. Jane Terry, Lickville, S. C i 00 

Rev. Thos. P. Pressly, Miss Belle Pressly, Troy, Tenn 5 00 

Mrs. B. E. Babb, Babbtown, S. C i 00 

Miss Mag Thompson, Babbtown, S. C i 00 

Mrs. M. A. Salmons, California i 00 

J. W. Peden, Springtown, Texas i QO 

Mrs. W. A. Haynes, Spartanburg, S. C i 00 

Mrs. M. E. Putnam, Fountain Inn, S. C i 00 

Mrs. Emma Alexander, California i 00 

Thos. Peden, Bascomville, S. C 3 00 

Rev. J. C. Bailey, Summerton, S. C i 00 



48 THE REUNION. 

Mrs. W. F. Pearson, Due West, S. C i oo 

Mrs. Mary Stewart, Atlanta, Ga i oo 

Claud S. McNeely, Atlanta, Ga 50 

H. L. Peden, Spartanburg, S. C i 50 

Jas. R. Peden, Kansas City, Mo 5 00 

Mrs. Janet P. Stenhouse, Sterling, S. C 5 00 

H. W. Cely, Greenville, S. C i 00 

Mrs. J. J. Vernon, Wellford, S. C i 00 

J. R. Westmoreland, Woodruff, S. C i 00 

W. B. Westmoreland, Woodruff, S. C. i 00 

Jno. R. Harsison, Fairview. S. C 5 00 

IMiss Jane Harrison, Fairview, S. C 50 

Miss Lillie Harrison, Fairview, S. C 50 

Angus McQueen Martin, Laurens, S. C 50 

Mrs. Mary H. Martin, Laurens, S. C 50 

Mary H. Martin, Laurens, S. C 25 

John H. Martin, Laurens, S. C 25 

M. L. Thompson, Fairview, S. C 1 00 

Drayton Babb, Fairview, S. C 50 

J. P. Simpson, Fairview, S. C 50 

Mrs. D. M. Peden, Fairview, S. C 5 00 

W. P. Fowler, Fairview, S. C i 00 

Mrs. Jane McDowell, Fairview, S. C 2 00 

Herbert Hammond, Greenville, S. C i 00 

Mrs. M. M. Thompson, Fairview, S. C 25 

M. P. Nash, Fairview, S. C i 50 

Mrs. Mary McKittrick, Fairview, S. C i 00 

W. H. Britt, Fairview, S. C i 00 

J. M. Peden, Fairview, S. C i 00 

J. T. Woods, Fairview, S. C 25 

J. S. Peden, Fairview, S. C 5 00 

G. C. Anderson, Fairview, S. C 50 

Walter Peden, Fairview, S. C 25 

Dr. H. B. Stewart, Fairview, S. C 5 00 

W. C. Harrison, Fairview, S. C 50 

W. S. Peden, Fairview, S. C 5 00 



THE REUNION. 49 

A. S. Peden, Airs, N. S. Peden, Bessie B. Peden, 

Annie S. Peden, J. C. Peden, Fountain Inn, S. C. 18 00 

J. T. Fowler, Fountain Inn, S. C 50 

Nellie West, Greenville, S. C 50 

Carrie Peden, Graycourt, S. C 50 

Lours Peden, Graycourt, S. C 50 

Annie West, Greenville, S. C 25 

Mrs. Laura West, Greenville, S. C 2 00 

Miss Ethel West, Greenville, S. C i 00 

Eugene Peden, Graycourt, S. C 25 

Lucy Peden, Graycourt, S. C 25 

D. D. Peden, Graycourt, S. C 2 00 

C. L. Peden, Graycourt, S. C i 00 

Peden Anderson, Westminster, S. C 50 

Geneva West, Fountain Inn, S. C 25 

Eleanor West, Fountain Inn, S. C 25 

Mabel West, Fountain Inn, S. C 25 

Robbie West, Fountain Inn, S. C 25 

Wm. West, Fountain Inn, S. C 25 

Mrs. J. R. West, Fountain Inn, S. C i 00 

Mrs. Dr. Westmoreland, Woodruff, S. C i 00 

J. Alarvin Peden, Fairview, S. C 25 

Calvin Peden, Fairview, S. C 25 

Maggie Peden, Fairview, S. C 25 

Lee Ross Peden, Fairview, S. C 25 

J. E. Peden, Fairview, S. C 25 

Jno. McDowell Peden, Fairview, S. C 25 

Jas. Stunt, Fountain Inn, S. C 50 

Crayton Stunt, Clifton, S. C i 00 

J. W. Stunt, Fairview, S. C i 00 

J. W. Anderson, Fairview, S. C i 00 

A. L. Peden, Fairview, S. C i 00 

Jno. S. Hammond, Welford, S. C i 00 

Mrs. Nancy Hammond, Welford, S. C i 00 

Mrs. Mary Woodruff, Welford, S. C i 00 



REGISTER PEDEN-ALEXANDER-[V10RT0N-M0RR0W 
REINSON OF 8899. 

Alexander, Hon. Hooper Atlanta, Ga. 

Alexander, Claude L Bold. Spring, Ga. 

Anderson, W. P Westminster, S. C. 

Anderson, Corrie M Westminster, S. C. 

Anderson, Wm. P., Jr Westminster, S. C 

Anderson, Frank P Westminster, S. C. 

Anderson, T. Peden Westminster, S. C. 

Anderson, J. L Walnut Springs, Texas 

Anderson, Ora B Walnut Springs, Texas 

Anderson, Marvin C Walnut Springs, Texas 

Anderson, Lang Walnut Springs, Texas 

Anderson, Forrest Walnut Springs, Texas 

Anderson, G. C Fairview, S. C. 

Anderson, Hattie M Fairview, S. C. 

Armstrong, Mrs. E. A Simpsonville, S. C. 

Armstrong, Jane Simpsonville, S. C. 

Armstrong, Ernest Simpsonville, S. C. 

Armstrong, Charles Simpsonville, S. C. ' 

Armstrong, John Simpsonville, S. C. 

Aughey, Rev. Jno. H Leavenworth, Kan. 

Aughey, Mary P Leavenworth, Kan. 

Babb, Mrs. Elizabeth Babbtown, S. C 

Babb, J. Drayton Babbtown, S. C. 

Babb, Mrs. Mary T. . : Babbtown, S. C. 

Baker, A. R. W Springtown, Texas 

Baker, Mrs. Nancy Springtown, Texas 

Baker, Beulah M Springtown, Texas 

Baker, Samuel R Springtown, Texas 

Baker, John T Springtown, Texas 

Baker, Wm. P Springtown, Texas 

Baker, Jessie J Springtown, Texas 

Bailey, Rev. J. C Summerton, S. C. 

Boyd, H. Y Fountain Inn, S. C. 



THE REUNIOIS. 51 

Boyd, Mrs. Eiila L Fountain Inn S. C. 

Boyd, Fowler Fountain Inn, S. C. 

Boyd, Pearl Fountain Inn, S. C. 

Boyd, Ivy Fountain Inn, S. C. 

Britt, Rev. M. C Sparta, Ga. 

*Britt, Mrs. Lizzie Sparta, Ga. 

Britt, Mrs. M. E Sparta, Ga. 

Britt, W. Hewell Sparta, Ga. 

Brooks, Mrs. Alice Simpsonville, S. C. 

Brooks, Bertie Lee Simpsonville, S. C. 

Brooks, Marie Simpsonville, S. C. 

Brooks, Gertrude Simpsonville, S. C. 

Brooks, C. Peden Simpsonville, S. C. 

Bugbee, Mrs. Lou Paris Texas 

Carson, Mrs. J. M Carnesville, Ga. 

Clark, Mrs. Marion Atlanta, Ga 

Cely, H. W Greenville, S. C. 

Cely, T. Lake New York 

Cely, W. H Greenville, S. C. 

Cely, Mrs. Alice . . Greenville, S. C. 

Cely Eleanor- Greenville, S. C. 

Cely, W. R Greenville, S. C. 

*Cleveland, Vannoy. Marietta, Ga. 

*Ferguson, Mrs. A. K Chariton, Iowa 

Ferguson, Mary Chariton, Iowa 

Fowler, J. T Martins Mills, Texas 

fowler, Mrs. Serena Martins Alills, Texas 

Fowler, R. Elizabeth Martins Mills, Texas 

Fowler, F. Franklin Martins Mills, Texas 

Fowler, Robert W Martins Mills, Texas 

Fowler, Moses M Martins Mills, Texas 

Fowler, Nancy R Martins Mills Texas 

Fowler, Jno. T Martins Mills, Texas 

Fowler, Harris L Martins Mills, Texas 

Fowler, Albert T Martins Mills, Texas 

*Died since the Reunion. 



52 



THE EEUNION. 



Fowler, F. F Martins Mills, Texas 

Fowler, Mrs. Delpha Pass Martins Mills, Texas 

Fowler, M. White Simpsonville, S. C. 

Fowler, Mrs. O. A Simpsonville, S. C. 

*Fowler, D. S Simpsonville, S. C. 

Fowler, Mrs. Eliza Simpsonville, S. C. 

Fowler, Hattie Simpsonville, S. C. 

Fowler, Mattie Simpsonville, S. C. 

Fowler, Thomas Simpsonville, S. C. 

Fowler, William Simpsonville, S. C. 

Fowler, Effie Simpsonville, S. C. 

Fowler, David Simpsonville, S. C. 

Fowler, Arthur Simpsonville, S. C. 

Fowler, Stewart Simpsonville, S. C. 

Fowler, Grady Simpsonville, S. C. 

Fowler, W. P Crescent, S. C. 

Fowler, Mrs. W. P Crescent, S. C. 

Fowler, Moses T Crescent, S. C. 

Fowler, Grover P Crescent, S. C. 

Fowler, Wells Crescent, S. C. 

Fowler, Annie Crescent, S. C. 

Fowler, W. R Crescent, S. C. 

Fowler, Mrs. Dora T Crescent, S. C. 

Fowler, Ethel May Crescent, S. C 

Fowler, Robert S Crescent, S. C 

Fowler, Wm. H Simpsonville, S. C. 

Fowler, Mrs. W. H Simpsonville, S. C. 

Fowler, S. A Fairview, S. C. 

Fowler, W. A Fairview, S. C. 

Garraux, Charles Fairview, S. C. 

Garraux, Mrs. Belle Fairview, S. C. 

Garraux, Cora Fairview, S. C. 

Garraux, Annie Fairview, S. C. 

Garraux, Belle Fairview, S. C. 

Garrett, F. L Commerce, Texas 



*I>ied since the Reunion. 



THE REUNION. 53 

Garrett, Mrs. Mary J Commerce, Texas 

Garrett, Henry H Commerce, Texas 

Garrett, Waddy L Commerce, Texas 

Garrett, Rose E Commerce, Texas 

Garrett, Nancy B Commerce, Texas 

Garrett, Florence T Commerce, Texas 

Garrett, W. P Fountain Inn, S. C. 

Garrett, Mrs. Hattie Fountain Inn, S. C. 

Garrett, Crayton Fountain Inn, S. C. 

Garrett, Annie R Fountain Inn, S. C 

Gaston, Amzi W Zebs, S. C. 

Gaston, J. W Zebs, S. C. 

Gaston, R. W Zebs, S. C. 

Gaston, A. C Zebs, S. C. 

Gaston, J. S Zebs, S. C. 

Gaston, T. C Zebs, S. C. 

Gaston, N. R Zebs, S. C. 

Gaston, D. H Zebs, S. C. 

Gaston, F. H Zebs, S. C. 

Gaston, M. E , Zebs, S. C. 

Goldsmith, Mrs. M. E Cedrus. S. C. 

Goldsmith, Helen Cedrus, S. C. 

Goldsmith, Sarah Cedrus, S. C. 

Goldsmith, Thomas Cedrus, S. C. 

Goldsmith, Edwin Cedrus, S. C. 

Hammond, Jno. S Welford, S. C. 

Hammond, Mrs. Nancy T Welford, S. C. 

Hammond, Adelia C Welford. S. C. 

Hammond, T. Herbert Greenville, S. C. 

Hammond, Mrs. T. H Greenville, S. C. 

Hammond, A. P Greenville, S. C. 

• Hammond, Ethel P Greenville, S. C. 

Hammond, Leila Greenville, S. C. 

Hammond, Nannie Greenville, S. C. 

Hammond, Ernestine Greenville, S. C. 

Hammond, Edna Greenville, S. C. 

Hammond, Mary Ella Greenville, S. C. 



54 THE EEUNION. 

Hammond, Jno. H Greenville, S. C. 

Hammond, Margie Belle Greenville, S. C. 

Hammond, Thos. Alexander Greenville, S. C. 

*Hammond, S. G Spartanburg, S. C. 

Hammond, Mrs. I\i. E Spartanburg, S. C. 

Hammond, J. Oeland Spartanburg, S. C. 

Hammond, E. B Spartanburg S. C. 

Hammond, Samuel R Spartanburg, S. C. 

Hammond, Margaret E Spartanburg, S. C. 

Hardin, F. M Atlanta, Ga. 

Hardin, Mrs. Mary J Atlanta, Ga. 

Hardin, Mary T Atlanta, Ga. 

Hardin, H. Frank Atlanta, Ga. 

Harrison, Dr. W. A Reidville, S. C. 

Harrison, Edward B Reidville, S. C. 

Harrison, Jno. H Marietta, Ga. 

Harrison, J. Wade Columbia, S. C. 

Harrison, R. P Reidville, S. C. 

Harrison, Eugene S Reidville, S. C. 

Harrison, W. C Reidville, S. C. 

Harrison, Mrs. Maggie Reidville, S. C. 

Harrison, W. Sloane Reidville, S. C. 

Harrison, Norman A Reidville, S. C. 

Harrison, Lloyd B Reidville, S. C. 

Harrison, Jno. R Reidville, S. C. 

Harrison, Hon. Jno. R Laurens, S. C. 

'•'Harrison, Jane Fairview, S. C. 

Harrison, Lillie H Laurens, S. C. 

Haynes, J. L Spartanburg, S. C. 

Haynes, Mrs. Welthy A Spartanburg, S. C. 

Haynes, Annie Spartanburg, S. C. 

Haynes, Norman Spartanburg, S. C. 

Haynes Guy Spartanburg, S. C. 

Hewell, Dr. J. W Greenville, S. C. 

Hewell, Mrs. Meta McJ Greenville, S. C. 

*Died since the Eeunion. 



THE EEUXION. 55 

Hewell, Marion McJ (1898) Greenville, S. C. 

Hewell, Elizabeth (1900) Greenville, S. C. 

Hewell, Barbara (1902) Greenville, S. C. 

Hewell, E. ]\I Greenville, S. C. 

Hewell, Eugenia Dunbar Greenville, S. C. 

Knight, Mrs. Martha Princeton, S. C. 

Knight, Alma Princeton, S. C. 

Martin, Angus ]\IcS Laurens, S. C. 

Martin, ]\Irs. jNIar}- E Laurens, S. C. 

Martin, Helen Laurens, S. C. 

Martin, John H Laurens, S. C. 

*McDowell, Mrs. Jane Fairview, S. C. 

McDowell, T. Whitner Fairview, S. C. 

McDowell, Mrs. T. Whitner Fairview, S. C. 

McDowell, James S Fairview, S. C. 

McDowell, Corrie E Fairview, S. C. 

McDowell, Laura E Fairview, S. C. 

McDowell, Thomas H Fairview, S. C. 

McDowell, Jno. L Fairview, S. C. 

McDowell, Mrs. Gertrude Fairview, S. C. 

McDowell, Frank H Fairview, S. C. 

McDowell, Fairview, S. C. 

'''McDowell, Mrs. Eugenia Fairview, S. C. 

McDowell, Eva Fairview, S. C. 

McDowell, Jennie Fairview. S. C. 

McDowell, Peden Fairview, S. C. 

McDowell, Minnie Fairview, S. C. 

McDowell, Hettie Fairview, S. C. 

McDowell, Thomas Fairview, S. C. 

^=McKittrick, Mrs. J\L A Fairview, S. C. 

McKittrick, Jeff. D Fairview, S. C. 

McKittrick, Mrs. Nannie Fairview, S. C. 

Nash, M. Perry Rapley, S. C. 

*Nash, Mrs. C. E Rapley, S C. 

Nash, L. B Rapley, S. C. 

*Died since the Reunion. 



56 THE REUNION. 

Nash, N.J Rapley, S. C. 

Nash, S. R Rapley, S. C. 

Nash Essie M Rapley, S. C. 

Nash, E. M Rapley, S. C. 

Neal, LilHan E Carnesville, Ga. 

Parsons, Mrs. Sam Woodruff, S. C. 

Parsons, Lucy Woodruff, S. C. 

Parsons, Lillie Woodruff', S. C. 

Parsons, Bruce Woodruff, S. C. 

Pearson, Mrs. E. E Due West ,S. C. 

Pearson, A. A Due W^est, S. C. 

Pearson, J. T Anderson, S. C. 

Pearson, Mrs. J. T Anderson, S. C. 

Pearson, W. G Anderson, S. C. 

Pearson, Paul C Anderson, S. C. 

Paden, Mark S Woodstock, Ga. 

Peden, J. W. T Van Vleet, Miss. 

Peden, Mrs. Sue Van Vleet, Miss. 

Peden, Henry S Van Vleet, Miss. 

Peden, Dora Van Vleet, Miss. 

Peden, Capt. D. D Houston, Texas 

Peden, Edward A Houston, Texas 

*Peden, Mrs. lone Houston, Texas 

Peden, Allen Vernon (1899) Houston, Texas 

Peden, Edward David (1901) Houston, Texas 

Peden, D. D., Jr Houston, Texas 

Peden, Mrs. A. G Pedenville, Ga. 

Peden, Thomas Chester, S. C. 

Peden, Mrs. Irene Chester, S. C. 

Peden, J. M Chester, S. C. 

Peden, David M Chester, S. C. 

Peden, William Chester, S. C. 

Peden, Margaret Chester, S. C. 

Peden, Mrs. E. M Fafrview, S. C. 

Peden, Adam S Fountain Inn, S. C. 

*Died since the Reunion. 



THE EEUNION. 



57 



Peden, Mrs. Nannie S Fountain Inn, S. C. 

Peden, Bessie Belle Fountain Inn, S. C. 

Peden, Annie S Fountain Inn, S. C. 

Peden, J. C Fountain Inn, S. C. 

Peden, J Stewart Fairview, S. C. 

Peden, Mrs. Mamie ]M Fairview, S. C. 

*Peden, Samuel Fairview, S. C. 

*Peden, Robbie Lee Fairview, S. C. 



Peden 
Peden 
Peden 
Peden 
Peden 
Peden 
Peden 
Peden 
Peden 
Peden 
Peden 
Peden 
Peden 
Peden 
Peden 
Peden 
Peden 
Peden 
Peden 
Peden 
Peden 
*Pede 
Peden 
Peden 
Peden 
Peden 
Peden 



Henry Burwell Fairview, S. C. 

Lila and Lizzie Fairview, S. C. 

Mrs. Caroline Fairview, S. C. 

Jno. Thomas Gravcourt, S. C. 

Mrs. Mary Graycourt, S. C. 

David Dorroh Graycourt, S. C. 

Chas. L Graycourt, S. C. 

Carrie Sue Graycourt, S. C. 

Thos. Eugene Graycourt, S. C. 

Lucy Allen Graycourt, S. C. 

\V. Stewart Fairview, S. C. 

Mrs. Rixie Fairview, S. C. 

Fred S Fairview, S. C. 

Nettie C Fairview, S. C. 

Laura Belle Fairview, S. C. 

David M Fairview, S. C. 

Mrs. Eliza Mc Fairview, S. C. 

Irene Fairview, S. C. 

Walter Fairview, S. C. 

]\Iay Fariview, S. C. 

Archie I Fairview, S. C. 

, Mrs. Janie Fairview, S. C. 

Earle L Fairview, S. C. 

Floride Fairview, S. C. 

Harry Lee Fairview, S. C. 

Mrs. Margaret Richburg, S. C. 

Andrew Richburg, S. C. 



*I>iecl since the Keunion. 



58 THE REUNION. 

Peden, Jno. M Hubbard, Texas 

*Peden, Mrs. Mary J Hubbard, Texas 

Peden, Jas. Rufus Hubbard, Texas 

Peden, Jos. Whitner Hubbard, Texas 

Peden, Eleanor E Hubbard, Texas 

Peden, Ora May Hubbard, Texas 

Peden, Mary A Hubbard, Texas 

Peden, Hugh B Hubbard, Texas 

Peden, Corrie M Hubbard, Texas 

Peden, Miss Elizabeth Fairview, S. C. 

Peden, Hugh L. W Spartanburg, S. C. 

Peden, Mrs. Hugh L. W Spartanburg, S. C. 

Peden, Jas. F .- Fairview, S. C. 

Peden, Mrs. Ella j\I " Fairview, S. C. 

Peden, Maggie Fairview, S. C. 

Peden, Joseph Thompson Fairview, S. C. 

Peden, Lee Fairview. S. C 

'•'Peden, Jno. P Fairview, S. C. 

*Peden, Mrs. Emma V Fairveiw, S. C. 

Peden, Janie Fairview, S. C. 

Peden, Eva Fairview, S. C. 

Peden, Cora Fairview, S. C. 

Peden, Roxie Fairview, S. C. 

Peden, Edgar Fairview, S. C. 

Peden, Eliza Fairview, S. C. 

Peden, Jessie Fariview, S. C. 

*Peden, David M Babbtown, S. C. 

Peden, Mrs. Mary J Babbtown, S. C. 

Peden, Leila Babbtown, S. C. 

Peden, W. S Babbtown, S. C. 

Peden, Essie Babbtown, S. C. 

Peden, Maggie Babbtown, S. C. 

Peden, Stacie Babbtown, S. C. 

Peden, Robert D Babbtown, S. C. 

Peden, Mary Babbtown, S. C. 

*Died since the Reunion. 



THE REUNION. 59 

Peclen, J. D Babbtown, S. C. 

Peden, Mrs. Elizabeth Babbtown, S. C. 

Peden, Nancy Babbtown, S. C. 

Peden, Mary Babbtown, S. C. 

Peden, Myra Babbtown, S. C. 

Peden, Janet Babbtown, S. C. 

Peden, William Babbtown, S. C. 

Peden, Rosa Babbtown, S. C. 

Peden, Ellen Babbtown, S. C. 

Peden, Earle Babbtown, S. C. 

Peden, Grace Babbtown, S. C. 

Peden, Mrs. H. M Westminster, S. C. 

Peden, Mrs. Elizabeth Westminster, S. C. 

Peden, James M Fairview, S. C. 

Peden, Mrs. ]\I. C Fairview, S. C. 

Peden, Minnie Thomason Fairview, S. C. 

Peden, Emma Turner Fairview. S. C. 

Peden, Marvin Fairview, S. C. 

Peden, A. Calvin Fairview, S. C. 

Peden, Mrs. Annie Fork Shoals, S. C. 

Peden, John T Fork Shoals, S. C. 

Peden, Charles T Fork Shoals, S. C. 

Peden, Alice Fork Shoals, S. C. 

Peden, Andrew Fork Shoals, S. C. 

Peden, Edward Fork Shoals, S. C. 

*Peden, Fred Fork Shoals, S. C. 

Pollard, A. P Simpsonville, S. C. 

Pollard, Mrs. Elizabeth A Simpsonville, S. C. 

Pollard, Fred Simpsonville, S. C. 

Pollard, Mattie Simpsonville, S. C. 

Pollard, Geneva Simpsonville, S. C. 

Pollard, Ethel Simpsonville, S. C. 

Pollard, Zelema Simpsonville, S. C. 

Pollard, Sara Simpsonville, S. C. 

Putnam, Mrs. M. C Fountain Inn, S. C. 

*Diecl since the Keunion. 



6o THE KEUNION. 

Putnam, Jas. R Fountain Inn, S. C. 

Putnam, Jno. W Fountain Inn, S. C. 

Putnam, Sara K Fountain Inn, S. C. 

Putnam, Thos. Alex Fountain Inn, S. C. 

Putnam, Mary Fountain Inn, S. C. 

Richardson, Mrs. M. C Simpsonville, S. C. 

Richardson, James C Simpsonville, S. C. 

Richardson, Walter Simpsonville, S. C. 

Richardson, Maggie Simpsonville, S. C. 

Richardson, Marie Simpsonville, S. C. 

Richardson, J. M Simpsonville, S. C. 

Richardson, Mrs. Mary J Simpsonville, S. C. 

Richardson, T. W Simpsonville, S. C. 

Richardson, Freeman Simpsonville, S. C. 

Richardson, Pearl Simpsonville, S. C. 

Richardson, Carrie Simpsonville, S. C. 

Salmons, Mrs. Mary Valley Center, Cal. 

*Shanon, Mrs. Cynthia Harmony Grove, Ga. 

Shannon, W. Alexander Harmony Grove, Ga. 

Snead, Mrs. Elizabeth Martins Mills, Texas 

Snead, Jno. R Martins Mills, Texas 

Snead, Laura E Martins Mills, Texas 

Stanton, Dr. Jno. H Chariton, Iowa 

Stanton, Mrs. Jno. H Chariton, Iowa 

Stanton, Gertrude E Chariton, Iowa 

Stanton, Sara AlcCalla Chariton, Iowa 

Stenhouse, Miss Isabella Fairview, S. C. 

Stenhouse, Wm. M Sterling, S. C. 

Stenhouse, Mrs. Jeannette Sterling, S. C. 

Stenhouse, Elizabeth Sterling, S. C. 

Sprouse, Mrs. Mattie Fairview, S. C. 

Sprouse, Mary C Fairview, S. C. 

Sprouse, Lucinda Fairview, S. C. 

Sprouse, William W Fairview, S. C. 

Stewart, Judge J. W Fairview, S. C. 

*Died since th& Reunion. 



The reunion. 6i 

Stewart, Mrs. J. W Fairview, S. C. 

Stewart, Leila Fairview, S. C. 

Stewart, Katherine Fairview, S. C. 

Stewart, Anderson Fairview, S. C. 

Stewart, Dr. H. B Fairview, S. C. 

Stewart, Mrs. Mattie E Fairview, S. C. 

Stewart, Frennie F Fairview, S. C. 

Stewart, Bessie Britt Fairview, S. C. 

Stewart, Rosa R Fairview, S. C. 

Stewart, Clifford C Fairview, S. C. 

Stewart, Mack M Fairview, S. C. 

Stewart, Hoke H Fairview, S. C. 

Stewart, Calvin B Fairview. S. C. 

Stewart, Mrs. Mary Atlanta, Ga. 

Stewart, Claud M Atlanta, Ga. 

Sullivan, Mrs. Stella Houston, Texas 

Sullivan, Leonora Houston, Texas 

Sullivan, jMargaret Peden Houston . Texas 

Sullivan, Luther ]\I Houston, Texas 

Sullivan, Andrew Peden Houston, Texas 

Sullivan, W. Edward Houston, Texas 

Sullivan, Frances E Houston, Texas 

^Sullivan, Mrs. Eudora E Pedenville, Ga. 

Sullivan, Malcolm McKay Pedenville, Ga. 

Sullivan, Annie Eudora Pedenville, Ga. 

Sullivan, Ruth Peden Pedenville, Ga. 

Sullivan, M. Lucile Pedenville, Ga. 

Sullivan, Wm. Bartlette Pedenville, Ga. 

Sullivan, Julia A. (1900) Pedenville, Ga. 

Templeton, Mrs. M. C Fountain Inn, S. C. 

Templeton, L. Hayne Fountain Inn, S. C. 

Templeton, Mrs. Mary C Fountain Inn, S. C. 

Templeton, Lutie M Fountain Inn, S. C. 

Templeton, Lula M fountain Inn, S. C. 

Templeton, Jas. H Fountain Inn, S. C. 

*Died since the Reunion. 



62 THE REUNION. 

Templeton, David Peden Fountain Inn, S. C. 

Templeton, Carrie E Fountain Inn, S. C. 

Talley, Olin B Fairview, S. C. 

Talley, Mrs. Olin B Fairview, S. C. 

Talley, Elizabeth N Fairview, S. C. 

Thomason, Rev. D. L Fairview, S. C. 

Thomason, Mrs. Therese M Fairview, S. C. 

Thomason, Sam W Fairview, S. C. 

Thompson, M. L Townville, S. C. 

Thompson, Mrs. M. L Townville, S. C. 

Thompson, L. Grace Townville, S. C. 

Thompson, Maggie Townville, S. C. 

Thompson, Leila White Townville, S. C. 

Thompson, W. H. L Fairview, S. C. 

Thompson, Mrs. M. M Fairview, S. C. 

Thompson, R. V Fairview, S. C. 

Thompson, A. B Fairview, S. C. 

Thompson, B. B Fairview, S. C. 

Thompson, M. L Fairview, S. C. 

Thompson, L. M Fairview, S. C. 

Thompson, W. S Fairview, S. C. 

Thompson, S. L Fairview, S. C. 

Thompson, N. E Fairview, S. C. 

Thomason, Mrs. Alice Simpsonville, S. C. 

Thomason, David E Simpsonville, S. C. 

""Thompson, Nina Lee Simpsonville. S. C. 

Thomason, Annie May Simpsonville, S. C. 

Thomason, Francis C Simpsonville, S. C. 

Vernon, J. J Welford, S. C. 

Vernon, Mrs. J. J Welford, S. C. 

West, Jas. I Greenville, S. C. 

West, Mrs Laura F Greenville, S. C. 

West, Charles D Greenville, S. C. 

West, Casper S Greenville, S. C. 

West, Ethel Greenville, S. C. 

*Died since the Reunion. 



fllfi EEUXIO]^. 6;^ 

West, Nellie M Greenville, S. C. 

West, Annie Greenville, S. C. 

West, D. Peden Greenville, S. C. 

West, Jones R Greenville, S. C. 

West, Mrs. Sue Greenville, S. C, 

West, Geneva Greenville, S. C. 

West, Eleanor Greenville, S. C. 

West, Mabel Greenville, S. C. 

West, Robbie Jones Greenville, S. C. 

West, Wm. D. P Greenville, S. C. 

Westmoreland, J. R Woodruff, S. C. 

Westmoreland, Mrs. Mag-gie Woodruff, S. C. 

Westmoreland, J. Ripley Woodruff, S. C. 

Westomreland, Nannie P Woodruff. S. C. 

Westmoreland, Goldie L Woodruff, S. C. 

Westmoreland, Bettie Barbara Woodruff, S. C. 

Westmoreland, Fred S Woodruff, S. C. 

Westmoreland, W. B Woodruff, S. C. 

Westmoreland, Mrs. Minnie E Woodruff, S. C. 

Westmoreland, Rebecca Peden Woodruff, S. C. 

Whiten, H. T Fountain Inn, S. C. 

Whiten, Mrs. Ellen Fountain Inn, S. C. 

Whiten, Alvin C Fountain Inn, S. C. 

Whiten, Cora Fountain Inn, S. C 

Whiten, Nannie Fountain Inn, S. C. 

Wilson, Rev. S. L Westminster, S. C. 

Wilson, Mrs. M. M Westminster, S. C. 

Wilson, Frank Pearson Westminster, S. C. 

Wilson, Park T Westminster, S. C. 




Ei:,Eanor m. hkweli.. 



PART II. 



The Pedens of America. 



CHAPTER I. 

ANCESTRAL PRIDE. 

A g"odly ancestry is the best heritage that can be given to 
man. Only within the last few years of the present centurv 
has the new world awakened to the sad fact that the very 
founders of its history were fast sinking into utter oblivion, 
leaving not the faintest trace of their achievements. One of 
the curious and interesting evolutions of the dav is the or- 
ganization of societies founded upon ancestries connected 
'with the earlier history of the country, and happy is that 
family who can boast of forefathers whose arrival in the new 
world ante-date the Revolution. These Historic societies 
are steadily on the increase, a list would be almost intermi- 
nable, for the fever is spreading yearly until it is becoming 
an epidemic. 

The tracing of this ancestry, while laudable in itself, is in- 
volved in great obscurity ; therefore attended with uncertainty 
for it cannot always be told what is at the far distant end, 
or very beginning of the line, consequently many mistakes 
are made. Yet in the majority of cases those of this day and 
time who can go back to their ancestors who stood boldly, 
bravely and loyally for the defense of civil and religious liberty 
in the Revolution of 1776 have every reason to be fully satis- 
fied with results ; for no people, no nation, ever had a finer 
race of progenitors than the Americans of these United 
States. Their record, compared with the average royal line- 
age, is as white, compared to very deep brown, if not black of 
a mournful hue. As Lowell says of them : "God hath sifted 
the nations for the wheat of this planting." 

Of these, the Scotch-Irish, the last and heaviest sifting, 
have produced the strongest growth. Little did James Stuart 
dream when he so carefully selected and transplanted his 
staunch, Presbyterian, Ayreshire Pedens and their compeers 
to his barren Irish wastes, that he was merely the tool in the 
hand of God for the furtherance of the Divine plan, that he 



68 TilE FEDEXS OF AMERICA. 

was promoting the very cause he was striving to eradicate 
by simplv garnering antl treasuring the golden grain of civil 
and religious freedom for the planting of the untried fields of 
the new land with a sturdy race whose influence is now domi- 
nant. 

Practical good comes from the new movement, for it in- 
creases respectful admiration and appreciation approaching 
reverence for the lives and labors of glorious ancestors, 
thereby leading to a deeper study of national history. 

The point, in its modern application, is that every one who 
can trace his or her line back to any defender of this grand 
land stands upon the sanie social level, whether that defender 
was a simple private or a high ol^cer, whether a farm hand 
or cavalier, whether a carpenter or an aristocrat. The fact that 
he fought loyally for his country entitled him to equal dis- 
tinction Avith the most illustrious of his day. 

The prospect is amazing standing at the dividing line 
between two centuries a glance backward shows what has 
come of the past, and a forward look shows the promise of 
the glorious future. While it is the duty of the present to 
treat the heroes of the late war well, while they yet live to give 
them that sympathy and recognition they so well deserve, 
admire heroism and sacrifice to principle in the fast vanishing 
veterans, as well as to worship it a century ago. 

In the bloody civil war the name Pedcn-Paden was written 
deep with the life-blood of many a young hero "in the rank 
and file" on both sides. It is in honor of this mighty race, 
now scattered over this glorious Union and in far lands, that 
this volume is written ; also to rescue the Scotch-Irish-Ameri- 
can name of Peden from the oblivion which threatens to 
engulf it, giving it a place beside its compeers among the 
Scotch-Irish race in America. 

Of its antiquity as a race there can be no question. As 
Col. Hooper Alexander and Capt. D. D. Peden, in their able 
addresses at the great clan reunion, under the ancestral oaks, 
at Fairview, S. C, in 1899, l:)rought out the strong character 
and fervid religious nature of the race in the old world, 



THE FEDEXS OF A^^ERICA. 69 

with a few additional side lights thrown from secular history, 
the threads will be taken up where they laid them down, im- 
posing the dutiful task of tracing the Peden in the new world 
and writing an honored name in a book upon the author; 
therefore wnth considerable trepidation of heart that mighty 
weapon, the pen, is taken in her woman's hand with the 
apology in advance that there will be many unintentional 
mistakes, many missing links, many broken, tangled threads, 
left to be rectified by some gifted historian of the future, who 
will gather and garner the truths as they emerge from the 
depths of the dust covered folios of long forgotten lore, 
redolent of dead rose leaves, thyme, lavender and cedar of 
the past. 

In following the Peden in America through his many wan- 
derings it was deemed advis.able to appoint a family historian 
from each of the nine families representing the race. This 
however has not proven a success generally, and the author 
has been thrown almost entirely on her own resources, which 
involved a voluminous correspondence wherever an address 
was obtained, so if some are left out they will understand it 
was not the author's intention, for she has certainly a super- 
abundance of ancestral pride and race love ; therefore "I have 
gathered me a posie of other men's flowers, and nothing but 
the thread that binds them is mine own." 



CHAPTER II. 

SIDE LIGHTS FKOM SECULAK HXSTOPvY. 

"Gently draw aside the curtain of the Past, and gaze reve- 
rently adown the dim-litten vistas of Time." 

Far back in the misty realms of tradition, ere Time's foot- 
prints were lighted by the lantern of written history, the 
human race became divided into three great families or septs. 
The cradle of man was the elevated plateau of western Asia ; 
thence they were dispersed eastward, southward, westward. 
The last migration to leave the cradleland were the great 
Aryan division, who swept westward with mighty strides of 
civilization, crossing in time over into Europe after founding 
tlie Perso-Phenecian races, thence founding the grand colony 
of ancient Greece. Legend tells that about the time of the 
call of Abraham, when the race still dwelt in tents, a number 
of the Aramites began the westward march over the arid 
plains toward the setting sun, finally settling in Greece where 
they dwelt in the "open country because of their great flocks 
of sheep and cattle." These people were called Pedens, or 
dwellers of the "open fields," and students of patronymics 
state that the name Peden in all its various changes signifies 
"a field." Taking up the line of march northward this tribe 
or sept finally became merged into the Aryan race, eventually 
forming the great Germanic nation which proved such invin- 
cible foes to conquering Rome, forming an impassable bar- 
rier between that all powerful empire and the coveted 
shores of the northern sea. The story of Arminus orHer- 
man gives the indomitable love of liberty, so strong in the 
Peden race, as a marked characteristic in the days of Ceasar 
as well as of today. 

All modern students of history and patronymics are agreed 
that the Scotch-Irish people, so distinctive now, are not, as 
have been generally received, of Gallic or Celtic origin but 
of Germanic. A large number of authorities can be quoted 
bearing on this subject. Suffice it to say that the earliest 



THE FEDEXS OF A:S[EEICA. 



71 



trace of the Germanic in the British Isles is in Ireland which 
being the more fertile land was more attractive to these tent 
dwellers of the open field than the rugged rock-bound coast 
of Scotland ; however, it was not long before the narrow 
channel was crossed and they found permanent hold in Ayr- 
shire. 

The surname was a product of the Norman invasion, and 
the Scot, like the American Indian, derived his from his sur- 
roundings, his locality. For example the famous name 
Douglas, under whose leadership many a Peden fought for 
Scotland's freedom, signifies "the blackwater" — the river 
Clyde. Holmes means the "low lands" or land along the 
margin of streams. Dunbar is from a stone and a barrier, 
otherwise stonewall. It was an olden custom to call a man 
John, of Holmes; James, of Douglas; George, of Dunbar; 
and as Alexander is so emphatically a Peden name it is sup- 
posable that Alexander, of Peden, was the founder of the 
race. The saving "Back to Alexander" is thus defined. 



't> 



"Ouehein Alexander our king was dede, 

That Scotland led in lane and le 
Alwayes was sons of ale and brede 

Of wyne and wax, of gamyn and gle," ect. 

The time of Alexander the Third thus alluded to by the 
earliest Scottish poet corresponds to the days of the Eng- 
lish Arthur and his table round, and is almost regarded as 
mythical ; however, there is far better proof of the existence 
of Alexander than of Arthur. A mystery envelopes the foun- 
ders of the English monarchy which does not exist regarding 
the Scottish. "Thirty kings" preceded the Bruce, all of whom 
sleep on the sacred Isle of lona, Macbeth, the Usurper, being 
the last Culdee king, for the Bruce rings in the Norman 
blood, and with it the church of Rome, first established by 
St. Margaret, wife of one of the Alexander fine, which became 
extinct in the Alaid of Norway. 

The name Peden existed in the time of the first Alexander, 
for a shepherd of that name brought the king "a lammie wrapt 



72 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

in his plaidie." The story runneth thus : "Alexander the 
good king being wearied from the chase in Ayr loitered be- 
hind his band, and was lost ; a storm coming tip the king 
sought shelter of a shepherd's hut or "shealing." The 
shepherd, ignorant of the rank of his guest and seeing his 
forlorn state bade him "rest a wee," and wrapping himself 
in the shepherd's dry plaidie the king lay down and slept a 
lone while, but was awakened bv savorv odors in the air. His 
host seeing him awake presented a part of a freshly roasted 
lamb with a bannock or oaten cake which the king ate 
eagerlv. He then inquired the name of his h.ost. "Alexan- 
der, of Peden," was the reply. Then said the good king, 
"What dost thou most desire?" Peden replied "The free- 
hold of the stead whereon I dwell." Then the king, on fur- 
ther questioning, discovered that the desired possession was 
within his gift said, "On this condition, that from this time 
forth thou and thv descendants shall hold the stead of Au- 
chin-by-the-ford by presenting yearly a young lamb to the 
king of Scotland." This was religiously kept until the king- 
doms were united under James Seventh. 

Tradition also states that the third Alexander, and the 
greatest of the line, expired on the breast of "one faithful 
yoeman, Paiden of the hags." In the year 600 the king of 
Northumberland applied to the Culdees for men to come and 
make his country Christian. Oswald, who had been banished 
to the land of the Picts, was a Culdee, so when restored to his 
kingdom prayed the church at lona to send one of their num- 
ber to his court. A man named Conan was sent but he was 
soon so disgusted with English manners and morals that he 
retired to the sacred island and his brethren. Then Aidan or 
Paidan went and devoted his life to the task which Conan had 
found so distasteful. He taught and toiled among them 
with great zeal which Oswald the king rewarded and warmly 
seconded. He was the founder of the little church of Lindis- 
farne on the bleak Northumbrian shore. 

These Culdee priests were often married and fathers of 
families. It is recorded that Duncan the Good was the son 



THE FEDEXS OF AMERICA. 



73 



of the Abbot of Dunkeld, and a daughter of Malcolm the 
Second. It is also stated that a natural son of Alex- 
ander the First bore the name of Peden and gave his brother 
the king much trouble. Considering the rude morality of 
those dark times he possibly had as good right to be king 
as his brother David. 

In 1160 the Peden name occurs on a list of Culdees to 
whom Donald, ninth Earle of Mar, granted land to build a 
Culdee church. The title of ]\Iar is the oldest in the English 
peerage. . 

"On the eve of the battle of Bannockburn 'tis said that 
from out the Scottish host there stepped 'a tall piper of so 
marvellous likeness to the king that many wondered greatly 
thereat, and as he doffed his bonnet their wonder increased 
for the king embraced him warmly' and thus they held each 
other for a space as though loath to part asunder. Then 
Ihey walked together out of ear-shot and without the guard, 
and some of the nobility cast dark glances at the tall, martial 
figure in the tartan and bonnet with the eagle feather, but 
the marvel ceased when it was told that the stranger was 
Peden, of Cadzow, the favorite piper of the king; that he had 
come hither at the Bruce's desire, for none else in the king- 
dom could so well play the "Logan Water" which was to in- 
spire the army on the morrow in the desperate battle for 
liberty against England's chivalry and power. When the 
sun rose the king rode bare of bonnet in front of the humble 
Scottish army on a mean, little horse, the Abbot of Dunkeld 
walking in front holding aloft the cross, the tall piper stalk- 
ing at the horse's flank the host of Scotland knelt as they 
passed. The English cried "Behold, they kneel !" Their 
leaders replied, "Yes, but not to us." The stiring notes of 
the piper followed the prayer. On came the charge." The 
story of Bannockburn has oft been told and need not be re- 
iterated. It is of the tall piper we sing. "When the battle 
was over the tall piper lay stiff and stark on that gory field of 
carnage. Then came the king, and in the wild abandonment 
of grief, threw himself on the sward beside the dead corse 



74 THE PEDENiS OF A^SIERICA. 

with the wild lamentation, 'Is it thus, my brother, that we 
part, I thought to have clapt on thy spurs and dub thee 
Knight of Cadzow, but alas." The scene is from "The Bruce 
and Wallace Wight." 

History tells us that Cadzow and its desmense passed after 
Bannockburn into the possession of the Hamilton, it being a 
fief of the crown, therefore within the king's gift ; also the 
three sons of the piper became the wards of the crown. Only 
one grew to man's estate. He lived and died in Ayr. 

Until the House of Stuart came to the throne Scotland en- 
joyed great freedom both civil and religious. Later history 
tells that on a certain occasion Angus, Earl of Douglas, re- 
fused to sleep within the w^alls of a captured castle saying that 
"Better hear the lark sing than the mouse squeak." The 
said Lord Angus, "Bell the Cat," was a scholarly man, an 
illegitimate son of the old earl, whom he succeeded, by right 
of his great superiority to his lawful brothers, so he was 
legitimatized and given the title, and well worthy he proved. 
Tradition says his mother was Margaret, of Peden, a woman 
of great personal beauty. 

The ancient name does not, so far as ascertained, occur 
again in secular history until the days and times of the Cov- 
enanters. That its bearers were strangely shielded by the 
crown during those bloody periods is a remarkable proof of 
not only esteem, but of some strange claim, together with the 
fact that the family or sept were ever vassals of the crown of 
Scotland, never of any petty lord, though there were times 
when they fought under the leadership of Douglass and 
Hamilton ; in covenanting days under Cameron. It is the 
purpose of this chapter to throw the secular light, not the 
rehgious, which is the strongest feature of the Peden char- 
acter. Another pen has portrayed their adherence to the re- 
formed religion. 

When that strange sifting for the planting of the wastes 
of North Ireland under James Seventh took place, he showed 
great preference for the house of Peden, granting them many 
privileges not accorded to others. This transplanting took 



THE PEDENS OE AMERICA. 



75 



place 1600- 1602. During a space of nearly two centuries the 
Pedens with their compeers were engaged in making the 
Irish desert blossom as the rose with their industry and skill. 
They had gathered together a fair share of possesions, ex- 
cept land ownership, which is and was impossible to Irish 
tenantry ; they could only obtain long leases ; when these 
leases, at first extremely liberal, expired, owing to their own 
vast improvement of the wastes they were raised exhorbi- 
tantly by owners, oftimes absentees, but more frequently op- 
pressive landlords at home. In addition to increased rents 
their woolen and linen manufactories were suppressed by 
enaction of harsh laws. The spirit of the Peden revolted. 
The historians Froude, McCauley and others give graphic 
pictures of the times of both civil and religious persecutions 
covering the last ninety years of their sojourn in Ireland. 
The name does not appear, but the race was there. At the 
close of 1668 began the attack on Londonderry. The story 
is a familiar one, but the names of the brave "thirteen ap- 
prentices," Scottish boys, seem unattainable. Tradition 
states that the Pedens descend from one of them. This may 
be on the maternal side. It matters not, if only it can be 
proven will be a descent worth far more than royal blood. It 
was an act of bravery unparalleled in modern history. 

The Peden was now called upon to choose between the 
Protestant religion and the House of Stuart. What that 
choice was is the pride and glory of their descendants. Fore- 
most among the men of Ulster he is found side by side with 
the Leslie, Mills, McDill, Gaston, Alexander, and the exiled 
Morton, as well as many another honored name that would 
swell the list interminably. Among the band that surrounded 
William of Orange in the mid-stream of that Irish river, 
running red with blood, the tide was flowing fast, his charger 
could scarcely keep his feet, and was almost swimming, when 
his bridle was seized by a young soldier, Peden by name, and 
led to shore where his arrival decided the fate of the day. He 
held his sword in his left hand. One of the Enniskilleners, 
thinking him an Irish leader, was about to fire, William 



76 THE FEDEXS OF AMERICA. 

gently pushed the carbine aside asking, "What, do you not 
know your friends?" "It is his majesty," said their leader. 
Then rose from the ranks a mad shout of joy, "Men of Ulster, 
1 have heard of you, let me see something also, you shall be 
my guards today." And truly they proved worthy, but the 
brave young soldier Peden fell in the Battle of the Boyne. 
There were three others, brothers also, there on that proud 
occasion fighting under the Dutch General Schomberg, who 
fell that day. The name of Gaston occurs among his men. 
"Men of the rank and file were the Peden." After this 
famous battle they seem to have led quiet, religious lives 
until the accession of George the Third and passing of the 
infamous law that made them exile themselves. For the finger 
of God pointed westward, their hearts heard the command 
"Go forward !" 

[Note. — As some of the clan seem desirous of a royal be- 
ginning the Historian adds to this chapter a few lines from 
the best recognized Scottish historians, Tytler, IMcArthur and 
McKenzie.] 

The name Scot is Celtic and signifies a rover or wanderer. 
At some remote period, not now possible to obtain dates, 
there came from Spain into Ireland a party of these Celts, 
who took the liberty of making themselves very much at 
home. Vigorous and powerful they were and quite capable 
of planting themselves wherever they wished ; even down to 
the present day this element is dominant ; however, they very 
soon took possession of Ireland and drove out the native 
Irish wherever they wished possession. This was about the 
third century. Here they remained until about the sixth 
century when a small colony of them crossed over to Scot- 
land and settled in what is Argyleshire, spreading into Ayre- 
shire and Galloway, where they flourished, and in the year 
700 A. D. founded the little kingdom of Dalraida, a long 
struggle for existence against the Picts, both north and south 
and the Scottish kingdom of Dalraida united them under 
her king Kenneth McAlpin. This king was elected to the 
throne about 770 A. D. He was the founder of the Scotish 



THE FEDEXS OF AMERICA. 77 

monarchy and the father of a large family. A long list of the 
most prominent Scottish names could be given as his descen- 
dants, but only a few will be culled. Alexander of the fields, 
or Peden, Grant, Dunbar, Cameron, Campbell and all the 
Mcs. 

Kenneth McAlpin and his successors down to Bruce, 13 14 
A. D., were buried on lona, the Sacred Isle. All these Scots 
were Culdees, having embraced Christianity at the beginning 
of the second century, Jesus having been preached among 
these Scots by refugees from persecution. "Whoever they 
were that first sowed the gospel seed in Scotland all recol- 
lection has perished. They are known alone to Him from 
whom they are receiving their rewards, some information, 
however, we have about the most remarkable of those prim- 
itive missionaries, who at a later date aided in extending the 
worship of God over Scotland. We see these men as trees 
walking, but true men they were, in heart and life." They 
preached a simple faith, the faith of the Culdee. The first 
was Ninian, a young prince who visited Rome about the lat- 
ter part of the fourth century. The Bishop of Rome, who 
had not yet swollen into a Pope, found the young Briton 
well skilled and taught in divine truth, ordained him and sent 
him to preach to his countrymen. He landed at Whitehorn, 
in Gallov/ay, where he built a little church — the first in Scot- 
land. It was called the White House. "To that little white- 
walled church, peacefully looking from its bold headland, 
over the racing tides of the wild Solway, he taught the pagan 
people to go up to hear the words of eternal life." The hum- 
ble White House in after years formed the site of a stately 
Abbey which bore the same name, but not a trace now re- 
mains of either, A few years later came Palladius and 
founded the church in Ferdon, in the Mearns (Ayeshire), 
which Burns has immortalized in Tam O'Shanter as Auld 
Alloway's Kirk. He was a powerful preacher and his con- 
verts were very numerous. The greatest evangelist was 
Columba, who came about 545 A. D. to lona in a curraugh 
a boat made of hides stretched on a keel and ribs of wood; 



78 THE PEDE'XS OF AMERICA. 

very frail, but it stood the stormiest seas and bore over 
Colum, or Columba, and twelve companions. Here they built 
a church of posts, wattled with reeds and plastered with clay, 
also a few huts, and supported themselves by cultivating the 
soil. This was the first theological seminary or missionary 
college. Starting from this point they made their way over 
rugged mountains and through pathless forests ; they en- 
dured hardships like good soldiers ; suffered violence, and 
sometimes death, at the hands of the Druids. They pursued 
their way, and wonderful success was given them. What a 
life of strange adventures theirs must have been. At night- 
fall waking the echoes of the gloomy forests with songs of 
praise, or prostrated on the grass reading their Latin Bibles ; 
now driven from the gate of some mighty chief ; now preach- 
ing in his huge oaken hall ; now standing in the midst of the 
village telling the story of the cross ; now in the warrior's 
camp preaching the Prince of Peace ; now teaching various 
mechanical arts, for they were well skilled in manual labor. 
Columba fell asleep at a very great age, but his work was not 
suffered to lag and went on growing and increasing for gene- 
rations, until their persecutor arose in the fair St. Margaret, 
queen of Malcolm Canmore, who loved not their simple faith, 
but desired the gorgeous ritual of Rome. 

To return. The followers of Columba were called Culdees 
(servants of God). Their churches and schools were estab- 
lished at Alcrnethy, Dunblane, Scone, Brechin, Dunkeld, 
Lochleven, St. Andrew's, and, in fact, all over Scotland. 
Their religion was the pure and undefield religion of the 
Bible, free from the corrupt doctrines and practices of the 
church of Rome. They owned no rule but the word of God. 
They had no worship of saints or angels ; no prayers for the 
dead; no confession to the priest; no sacrifice of the mass. 
They hoped for salvation from the mercy of God alone, 
through faith in Jesus Christ. They had no bishops or pre- 
lates, and their only office bearers were ministers and elders. 
Th|e little island settlement grew into fame and grandeur, for 
ages it was the great light of the north, for centuries Scot- 



THE FEDEXS OF AMERICA. 75 

land's kings were buried in its soil, even the royal dead of 
other lands were brought to rest in its sacred soil. Nothing 
now is to be seen except a square tower and roofless walls. 
The unceasing roar of the sea's wild waves as they dash 
against the granite cliffs is the only sound that breaks the 
stillness of the desolate scene. The church of the Culdees 
flourished long but the days of persecution came and as the 
ages passed it was reduced to a mere handful who kept the 
faith even through the stormy days of the Reformation, as 
late as 1494 it is stated. The first Archbishop of Glasgow had 
thirty persons, mostly of prominence, arrested for being 
Culdees, and many of them from Ayrshire. 

The origin of the name Peden has two traditions, one has 
been already given, belonging to the Culdee sketch. The fol- 
lowing has just reached the author: Among the knights who 
accompanied the Norman Conqueror, William to Britain in 
1066, was one named Sir Hugh de Pothein; and in confirma- 
tion of this Norman theory is quoted from Johnson's Appre- 
ciation of Alexeander Peden, the Prophet of the Covenant, 
these notes from his "Lives of Six Saints." 

"Alexander Peden was registered at the university as 
Peathine, and he sometimes wrote his name as Pedine. Other 
forms of the family name occurring in writs or to be found on 
old heirlooms are : Pothein, Pothoin, Pothin, Pethine, Peath- 
ine, Petein," and in the sixteenth century as Peden. 

"In the list of 'rebels and fugitives from our laws' appended 
to the royal proclamation of the 5th of May, 1684, the fol- 
lowing names belonging to the same locality, Mauchline, Ayr- 
shire ; Alexander Peden, of Blockerdyke ; John Peden, por- 
tioner of Holehouse ; Robert Peden, son to Hugh Peden in 
Waulkmill of Sorn, and also Peden, his son." 

"The father of the distinguished Covenanter was a small 
proprietor in the district, and he himself (Alexander Peden) 
seems to have been the eldest son of the Laird of Auchen- 
cloich." 

In Dr. Hay Fleming's notes to the lives of "Six saints" we 
learn that "Alexander Pethein was retoured heir to his grand- 



So THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

father (Alexander Pethein) in Hill-side of Sorn, on the i6th 
of March, 1648; and on the same day heir of Auchencloich. 
And so, like a considerable number of the Covenanting min- 
isters, Alexander Peden belonged to the lesser (Lairds) 
gentry of Scotland." 

"The Covenanters have been looked upon," writes Lord 
MoncriefT, in "Church and State," "as a somewhat unedu- 
cated, rude, fanatical body of the lower order, and people 
seem to contrast them with the better birth and manners of 
the royalists. I believe there is in all this a very great delu- 
sion. The inception of the Covenanters embraced the largest 
portion of the upper ranks, and whole body of the people. 
Whatever of birth, of culture, of manners, and of learning or 
intellectual power of Scotland could boast was at that time 
unquestionably to be found in the ranks of the Covenanters." 

To like purpose the words of Jas. Dodds : "Whether it was 
from early connection, or from subsequent acquaintance he 
(Alexander Peden) was honored with the friendship of the 
Boswells, of Auchenleck, in his immediate neighborhood, an 
old and respected family from whom descended the biogra- 
pher of Samuel Johnson. Indeed, it is manifest from many in- 
cidents that Peden was on terms of endearing friendship with 
many of the best old families of the West. I mention this in 
passing, not because in itself it made him any better, but to 
remove an impression which has been propogated, that he 
was some obscure, ranting vagrant — half-crazed nondescript. 
In the best sense Peden was a gentleman and through life the 
companion of gentlemen." 

From "Heroes and Heroines of the Scottish Covenanters," 
by Dr. J. M. Dryerre, F. R. G. S. : "The strangest man of the 
Covenanting struggle was Alexander Peden. Around his 
name has grown a multitude of stories, in which people have 
tried to express the wonderfulness of his character. Laying 
aside such as have need of verification, we still have the 
picture of a strange man, spiritual in mind and heart, noble 
in character, keen of insight, and fully justified to the title 
which people gave him of the 'Prophet.' We must not deny 



THE FEDEXS OF AMERICA. 8i 

the term, then, to Peden, because he died in his bed. This 
was not the fault of his enemies. To the hour of his death 
they hunted him, but failed to shed his blood. Peden was a 
native of Ayrshire, being born at Auchencloich, in Sorn, 
about 1626. His father, Hugh Pethein, was a small proprie- 
tor, and left his son a fair patrimony. His social position 
gave him the entrance into the best society, and we find him 
often at the Boswells, of Auchenleck, and at the Baillies, of 
Jerviswoode, and the houses of all the gentry round about. 
From an early period he felt called to the ministry, and cared 
nothing for earthly honors, or glory. His prayers were con- 
versations with a Personal Friend. His sermons were visions 
of the glory of God, which had come to him in his medita- 
tions, and filled the people with awe. His talk was about God 
and His will in regard to down-trodden Scotland. Tall in 
stature, and wellbuilt, as he proclaimed his message of God 
he must have been intensely impressive." 

Another writer describes him as of "fair and ruddy counte- 
nance, with beaming eyes when in repose, stern and flashing 
like the eagle's when denouncing the enemies of the Lord and 
Scotland." (Wilson.) 

A description of his birth-place, also the cradle of the 
American line, will not be amiss here : 

"Belonging at present to Sorn, Auchencloich (field of 
stones); at the time of our story (1626) was situated in 
Mauchline parish. Sorn was not able to boast of a church of 
its own till 1658, nor had it a separate existence as a parish 
till 1692, when it was disjoined from Mauchline. The interest 
of the story therefore, at the outset, centers in Mauchline. 

"The village of Sorn stands on the river Ayr, about three 
miles from Catrine and five from Mauchline. As the birth- 
place of Peden it is famous. Sorn Castle, not far ofif, has a 
charming situation. Pity that its association should be so 
dissimilar, for under Scotland's reign of terror the castle was 
taken possession of as a fort-a-lis of the royal forces and 
made the seat of a garrison for over-awing the Covenanters. 
Yet, after all, what does it matter?" aptly remarks the author 



82 THE FEDEXS OF AMERICA. 

of "Mad Sir Uchtred of the Hills (R. L. Stevenson), as he 
says, "thro' all the sou-west not a bairn's prayer is changed 
for all the fusillades of Claverhouse, and for all the tramplings 
of his squadrons." 

"Auchencloich, the birth-place and death-place of the 
Prophet Peden, is a hamlet in Sorn, 2 miles N. E. of Mauch- 
line. The derivation of the name, and historical facts con- 
nected with the place will be found in Mr. Todd's 'Homes 
and Haunts.' The present tenant (1902) is Mr. David Bone, 
reputed a good man and true and very much pleased to show 
Peden's birth-place to all comers. Too much must not be 
expected, however, for the building is a very humble one, 
having been converted into a byre for cattle." 

"The Peden name is a common one in the Mauchline regis- 
ters, the other Peden homes, Auchen Ion-ford and Tenshil- 
ling, are not far away, also Blockerdyke, Waulkmill, &c. 

"In the kirk records, session of 1682, there is an entry to 
the elYect that the sum of twenty-four shillings was given by 
the church to a poor man recommended by a Mr. Alexander 
Peden. 'It is just probable,' writes Dr. Edgar, in Old Church 
Life, 'that the Alexander Peden who gave the recommenda- 
tion may have been the famous Covenanter of that name, 
who was well known doubtless to both ministers and elders of 
Mauchline.' The minister of Mauchline at the time of 
Peden's birth and baptism was John Rose, who died in 1634, 
and was succeeded by Geo. Young the following year." 

"Alexander Pethein was retoured heir of his grandfather, 
Alexander Pethein, of Hillheid Sorn, on the i6th of March, 
1648. [Inquistiones Generales, No. 3433.] and on the same 
day was retoured his heir in the half-merk lands of Auchen- 
lonfuird, in the lands of Bruntishiell and Lairdship of Kyle- 
muir [Inquistiones Generales, Ayr, No. 4*18]. This last little 
lairdship had appearently been in the hands of a good many 
Pedens for on the 29th of April, 161 1, Hugh Pethein was re- 
toured heir of his father, Alexander Pethein, in Sorn in the 
half-merk lands of Auchenlonfuird within the lands of Brun- 



THE PEDBNS OF AMERICA. 83 

tishiells and Lairdship, and regality of Kylesmuir. [Ibid, 
No. 1 76. J 

"William Cunningham, one of the foremost scholars of his 
age, and author of several works on Theology was 'a descen- 
dant of the Covenanting Pedens,' his mother being a sister, 
or niece of the Prophet, and to whose influence and godly 
upbringing her famous son owed much of his beauty of 
character. She is described as 'a tall, stately woman, of noble 
mein, of unswerving fidelity to the tenets of the Covenanters, 
and her son, whom she reared and educated despite many and 
sore trials, proved worthy of her and her race, the ancient and 
honorable Pedens.' William is said to have been a reproduc- 
tion of his venerable relative, the Prophet, both in personal 
appearance and mental vigor. He is described as a giant 
mentally, physically and spiritually, of commanding appear- 
ance, stern of countenance, yet with a manner and smile so 
winning that the 'weest bairnie' gladly nestled in his broad 
bosom, or sought shelter in the lap of his 'plaidie.' While no 
picture of the Prophet Peden exists, the strong, gentle, hand- 
some face of William Cunningham can be found somewhere 
in broad Scotland." 

Statement of Charles Peden, engine driver, 29 Union Place, 
Dundee, Scotland : 

I am sixty-three years of age. Have resided in Dundee 
for the last twenty-three years. I came to Dundee at the 
opening of the first Tay Bridge and was driver of the first 
through passenger train from Dundee to Glasgow. This 
train consisted of ten carriages, containing between two and 
three hundred passengers. I have a family of four daughters 

and one son. I was born at . My father's name is 

also Charles Peden. He worked in the free- stone quarries 
and on farms as a laborer. My grandfather's name is James 
Peden. He lived some years in Stirling and was between 
sixty and seventy years of age at the time of his death. The 
following particulars are contained in a document which was 
found among my grandfather's papers : 

The first notice of the Peden family is in 1648. On the i6th 



84 THE FEDEXS OF AMERICA. 

of March of this year Alexander Peden, the Prophet, became 
heir to the estate of Auchin-long-ford, Ayreshire, on the 
death of his grandfather, also named Alexander Peden. 
James Peden, father of Mingo Peden, came into the property 
in 1693. His wife was Agnes Miller. He was succeeded by 
his son, James, in 1723, whose wife was Isabella Robb. Their 

son James succeeded to the estate in and sold it to a 

Mr. Bones, of Stowe, near Edinburg, and it is still owned by 
the Bones family. This James Peden, who was the last suc- 
cessor to the estate Auchin-long-ford of the Peden name, 
died in 1775. [Was he father, brother or cousin to John 
Peden who was born in 1709 and emigrated to America in 
1 768- 1 770?] 

Alexander Peden, the Prophet, was born in 1626; died in 
1686 (two years before the Reformation), in a brother's house 
in Auchinleck, a few miles from Sorn. His estate consisted of 
three small farms and was situate about three miles from Sorn. 
He was never married. He had two brothers (from one of 
whom the Pedens of America descend, presumably James). 
Their names are James and Mingo. Both had families. 

A few years ago I had the pleasure of seeing the Bible of 
the Prophet. It was in the possession of a family in the 
vicinity of Dundee, who had purchased it in Edinboro for 
twenty guineas. This Bible was the means of saving his life. 
The cave in which he usually hid (under Peden's stone) him- 
self to elude his enemies who were searching the country for 
him having been discovered, he forsook it and fled to his 
brother's house (James). His sister-in-law (Agnes Miller) 
said to him, "What are ye doing here, the enemy will be upon 
ye ?" In a very few minutes the soldiers were seen approach- 
ing. In haste the Prophet took shelter in the byre or small 
barn, his sister-in-law accompanying him, there he laid down, 
his Bible clasped to his breast. She covered him with straw 
and retired. The soldiers searched the house in vain, then 
one proceeded to the byre, only a pile of straw was seen so, 
thinking he might be beneath it, the soldier plunged his sword 



THE PEDENS OF AMEEICA. 85 

down through the straw ; the point of the weapon was arrested 
by the leathern cover which it but slightly touched, leaving 
scarcely a mark on the outside board of considerable thick- 
ness. Being satisfied that no man was hidden beneath the 
soldier withdrew and joined his comrades, thus the worthy 
man again escaped his enemies miraculously. 

The above was furnished by Mr. T. Y. Miller, of Dundee, 
who personally saw Charles Peden. 



CHAPTER III. 

THE FLITTING. 

"Religion stands on tiptoe, in our land 
Ready to pass to the American strand." 

— Herbert. 

Down one of Ireland's greenest of green lanes, bordered 
on either side with neatly clipped hedges of hawthorn, white 
with blossom, carpeted with velvet sward, studded with ox- 
eyed daisies ; over head floated soft, fleecy clouds in a sea of 
blue ether ; no sound save the droning of bees among the flow- 
ers ; the cawing of a colony of rooks in the castle woods ; dis- 
tant lowing of cattle. A study fair of white, blue, gray and 
green. A calm Sabbath in May, in the year 1750. The sound 
of voices, and lo, a long procession of men women and little 
children, following like sheep an old, old man whose long 
silvery locks fell in rippling curls on the stooping shoulders. 
He walked very slowly, aided by a shepherd's crook. 

The lane ended at the foot of a knoll on whose summit 
stood, and perhaps still stands, a gray stone church over- 
grown with ivy, which grows more luxuriantly in Ireland 
than elsewhere, because tradition as well as history tells us 
that Ireland was once "one vast battle-field." From the crest 
of this hill nature spreads out a fair landscape of hill and 
dale; a wide stretch of country, grim, old castles in ruins, 
farm houses nestling in the midst of smiling farms, with here 
and there a native hovel to mar the beauty of the scene. In 
the distance flashed the silver waters of the Lough in their 
basin of emerald and gray stone. The exiled Scots loved this 
fair spot where they had found a brief refuge from persecu- 
tion and had named their church Fairview. 

On this day their awakening was to come ; a rude one it 
proved, for as they reached the open door of the church, 
passing through the sweet God's acre where so many of their 
race were sleeping the long sleep ere the final waking. Here 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 87 

and there among the grass and daisies lay white stones like 
a scattered flock of sheep. Sounds of war issued from the 
sacred portals and instead of prayer and psalm came the din 
and clash of arms and spurs, while horses grazed in the 
church yard. The procession paused. The officer in com- 
mand bade them disperse in the king's name. Undaunted 
they stood ; the blood of martyrs flowed in their veins, the old 
fire only smoldered. The Sabbath calm would have been 
broken by carnage had not the aged pastor (WilHam Mont- 
gomerv) raised his voice for peacefully retiring; resistance 
was useless. The officer held a writ of ejectment ; the ejected 
band turned and followed their leader slowly down the hill 
away from the green graves of their sires and little ones, the 
women weeping, the little children full of wonder, the men 
full of a stern resolve. They had borne much, their fathers 
more, for their faith's sake* driven hither and thither through 
Scotland, and finally out of fair Ayreshire into the desert 
wastes of Antrim, driving before them the wild natives of 
Tyrone and Tyrconnel. 

Again out of the darkness came the command of "Go for- 
ward!" With prophetic gaze they beheld the distant shores 
of the new world, far beyond the storm-tossed ocean where 
some of their brethren had already gone and built altars and 
homes amid primeval forests, finding the savage red-man and 
wild beasts more merciful foes than those at home under the 
sway of the ruling house. His eloquent appeal for peace was 
the last oration of the old pastor — that night he was appre- 
hended while at his devotions, but ere he reached his prison 
"The hand of God touched him and he slept." 

Leadership thus devolved upon the eldest elder who bore 
the time-honored name of Peden, tradition says James, an 
old man who had seen many trials, but was staunch and stead- 
fast in the faith; and well he fulfilled his part to the bereft 
flock. He was the father of five sons, Thomas, William, 
James, Robert and John. Of these Thomas returned to Scot- 
land (there is some uncertainty as to whether his name was 
Thomas or Samuel),' Robert remained in Ireland, where his 



88 THE PEDE'NS OE AMERICA. 

descendants are to be found today (1900), John, the founder 
of this house, was at the time of this ejectment nearly fifty 
years of age. James Peden and Mary Mills, his wife, were 
old, and the old tree does not bear transplanting, so after 
many prayers he revealed his plans to them advising them to 
seek homes with others of their faith in America, where the 
demand for skilled labor, especially in the Southern colonies, 
was steadily increasing, and where many were still going 
from persecution, both civil and religious, with every out- 
going tide, gentleman and yoeman, to people that far new 
world. The heavy emigration which nearly decimated Ire- 
land's population lasted nearly a score of years ere it was 
checked, from 1758 to 1770. It is said of the Scotch that only 
one motive, that of gain, will induce him to leave Scotland, 
so strong is the love of country. 

While the sojourn in Ireland was not more than a century 
in length, it had the efifect of weaning and preparing for a 
still further flitting. In 1770, John Peden having helped lay 
his aged parents away to sleep 'til the resurrection, called his 
now large family around him and told them of his long 
cherished hope of emigrating to America, whither two sons 
had preceded him. He was now growing old, but like 
Moses, his strength was not abated, his eye was not dim, he 
had a great spirit within him. Verily the heaviest sifting was 
this last great harvest of golden grain for planting in America 
in 1770 

"At long anchor in Belfast Bay lay a great sea-going ship ; 
two others were gliding away under the light of the harvest 
moon ; their decks were black with people, so were the shores, 
and skififs plied busily to and fro between ship and land. 
There was a great sound of lamentation on land and shore, 
the people mourning and crying last farewells to one another 
so as to pierce the heart ; the emigrants put out their hands 
beseechingly towards the land until the captain, nearly be- 
side himself, gave orders to sheer ofT. Then the friends on 
the beach took up a wild lament like that for the dying, and 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 89 

were joined by the exiles on ship-board." Presently, how- 
ever, the passengers on one ship took up the Hundredth 
Psalm, and among the voices joining therein was that of old 
John Peden and his family. The name of the vessel is lost. 
Her log-book, too, lies possibly at^the bottom of the sea until 
it gives up its dead and buried treasures, but it is an assured 
fact that with John Peden and his wife, Margaret McDill, 
there came over, James Peden, his wife and five children ; 
James Alexander, St., his wife and several children; Jane 
Peden, widow of James or David Morton, and her five 
children. It is a mooted question whether these came with 
or preceded their father. The following is unquestioned, 
Thomas and his wife and an infant child, Mar}^ ; William Gas- 
ton and his wife, Elizabeth Peden ; the five younger brothers, 
William, John, Samuel, Alexander, David, ranging from 
eighteen to ten in years. Other kith and kin were among the 
passengers, names now famous in America. The vessel was 
crowded "fore and aft, cabin and steerange." No pen can de- 
scribe the sufferings of the emigrants, the long tedious, 
dangerous voyage, the sickness and death. All brought what 
they could of cattle, goods for household needs in the 
new world. The men the tools and implements of their 
trades. John Peden was a wagon maker, James a miller, 
Thomas a miller, John a gunsmith, Samuel a blacksmith ; 
James Alexander was a man of letters, a merchant or farmer, 
William Gaston was of high lineage, but followed the trade of 
weaving silk and wool. The women brought their fiax- 
wheels, their hackles, their looms and other necessaries. It 
is told that Margaret McDill brought over in a bottle a tiny 
root of the pink moss rose which grew in the castle garden 
at Broughshane, and that old John brought some apple scions 
from the trees that grew in the old orchard at home ; anyway, 
there are yet to be found a peculiar juicy white and red apple 
at Fairview known as "Grandfather's apple" by the children 
of the seventh son, David. 

The last vessel with the Pedens on board had not proceeded 



90 THE PEDBNS OF AMERICA. 

far when a cry arose from the deck, "A man overboard !" A 
boat was lowered and the man rescued amid a shower of 
musketry from the shore. The adventurous youth gave his 
name as Robert Mills, and was promptly taken in charge by 
his kinswoman, Peggy McDill, and her brothr, Thomas Mc- 
Dill. The young man was pursued by the "press-gang" and 
made his escape by slipping under a fallen tree, his pursuers 
being mounted had to make their way around the tree, lost 
time and he cast himself into the sea. His subsequent history 
belongs to the McDill family who have preserved their tra- 
ditions, and it is a well known name in the history of South 
Carolina. 

Thomas McDill was destined to be the hero of the voyage, 
and it may not be amiss to tell of his act of heroism as it 
saved the vessel and its valuable cargo of souls to bless the 
new world. He was somewhat of a sailor and fond of the sea 
and soon became a favorite with the crew; a mutiny was im- 
minent ; the "good captain" thrown overboard and the first 
mate took command ; he was unprincipled and took the part 
of the mutineers, who proposed to take the passengers to 
the Bermudas and sell them into slavery, turn pirates and 
scourge the seas. Thev took Thomas McDill into their confi- 
dence, proposing that he should join them; but he was cast in 
a different mould and with the help of his friends succeeded 
in putting the crew in irons. Providence was guiding this 
vessel for a divine pifrpose, for Thomas McDill, totally igno- 
rant of the coast he was nearing, piloted them safe into har- 
bor. It was not the harbor of their destination, however, but 
a safe one. "So they tarried awhile in the Land of the Friend." 
History is not clear on this point as to whether they really 
landed in Pennsylvania first, or Charlestown. There are two 
versions so, for the benefit of the doubtful, both are given. 
Anyway the Pedens bore titles from King George to lands in 
South Carolina. Unfortunately these old titles have been 
lost. However many believe that they tarried in Pennsyl- 
vania and prospered there until the great tide of emigration 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 91 

swept southward, when they too came to their possessions in 
what is now Spartanburg County, South Carolina. The other 
version is that they were landed at Charlestown and there 
John Peden put together the wagons they had brought and 
buying a few horses and a few supplies they turned their faces 
bravely toward the wilderness of upper Carolina, sending in 
advance some to "blaze" a path. At some points they found 
a road, but most of the, way they found there were streams to 
cross, perils to meet. They subsisted on game that their 
rifles brought down, fish from the rivers, green corn bought 
of the red-men and had often to dodge swift arrows sent after 
them by hidden foes. At night they built great fires to pro- 
tect them from wild beast, and committing themselves to God 
lay down to rest in a strange land. 

"Tho their hearts were sad at times, and their bodies weary 

Hope still guided them on, 
'Patience !' whispered the oaks from oracular caverns of dark- 
ness ; 
And from moonlit meadows a sigh responded — 'Tomorrow.' " 

* 

Note — Later information states that the emigrant ships 
were the "Eagle Wing," "Morning Star" and "Adventurer," 
each 150 tons burden. Each emigrant was entitled to 100 
acres of land (some more none less) by a grant from the king, 
for which was paid about seventy-five cents, with the agree- 
ment to bring under cultivation a certain number of acres 
within the year. These old grants bear the date 1768. 

Old records of the Alexander family show that they landed 
in New York in 1768, coming to South Carolina in 1770, 
tarrying in Penna. for two years ; also that James Alexander, 
Sr., David or James Morton, and James Peden came first 
with their families settling in Penna., while Thomas Peden 
with his father and five younger brothers, and William Gas- 
ton, his wife, Elizabeth, came later in 1770, direct from Phil- 
adelphia to South Carolina, making no stop in that state. 
Among their fellow emigrants were these names, Lee, Gar- 



92 THE PEDENS OE AMERICA. 

rett, McQueen, Hughes, White, Brown, Hemphill, Jackson, 
McQuestion, McClintock, McDonald, McDill; these found 
homes in Chester and comprised almost an entire congrega- 
tion, while to Spartanburg came Anderson, Alexander, Barry, 
Caldwell, Coan, Collins, Dodds, Gaston, Jamison, McMahan, 
Miller, Moore, Morton, Morrow, Pearson, Penrey, and 
others. 



CHAPTER IV. 

OUK FORE-FATHEKS. 

"What sought they thus afar? 

Bright jewels of the mine? 
The wealth of seas; the spoils of war? 
• They sought a Faith's pure shrine." 

[Note — For much of this chapter the writer is indebted to 
Rev. R. H. Reid, venerable pastor of Nazareth church, also to 
Mr. A. W. Gaston, lineal descendant of Thomas Peden, who 
still owns the old home, and last, but by no means least, to 
the fine memory of her own maternal grandmother, Eleanor 
G. Dunbar, who was the youngest daughter of David Peden, 
the seventh son of John the Founder, who was a girl of fifteen 
when her father died, so she had the precious privilege of 
hearing the dear, old brothers talk of perils past in which con- 
versation they delighted to while away the long winter even- 
ings around their firesides. A custom which they kept up 
until death entered the charmed circle was to meet at one of 
their homes Saturday evening and spend their Sabbaths under 
one roof-tree. This they did in rotation. Eleanor G. Dunbar 
was a woman whose veracity could not be questioned, for, 
like her venerated father, she abhored a lie. She rejoined the 
great host gone before in May, 1899, a few weks prior to the 
Peden reunion at Fairview, S. C., and would have attained her 
ninetieth year on June 16, 1899. Consequently she remem- 
bered her father; her grandfather, John, dying before her 
birth.] 

It was long past mid-summer when John Peden and his 
family reached the place of their final sojourn in the new 
world and there was already a suspicion of frost in the air. 

Some eight or ten families who had come down through the 
pathless woods from the land of Penn. and had settled on the 
branches of the Tyger river in what is now Spartanburg 
County, S. C, as early as 1761. The place chosen for their 



94 THE PEDEN.S OF AMERICA. 

church was equally distant between the two settlements 
known as the "upper" and "lower," in order to be accurate 
the distance was stepped by two old men. The first house of 
worship was of rough hewn logs, built in 1765. It was this 
rude temple that greeted the sight of John Peden when he 
and his tired band emerged from the woods into the clear- 
ing. It is said that he reverently bared his head as he passed, 
his sons following his example ; here too they were met and 
welcomed by their brethren all joining in a service of praise 
to the Great Father, who had brought them together after 
many perils by sea and land at the altar reared by pious hands, 
on the sacred hill where the old church now stands, though 
the rude log one was replaced by a spacious brick one long 
ago. 

"The solemn voice of praise then broke the stillness which 
had reigned upon it since creation. In " the virgin forest, 
amid the vistas through which they walked as through long 
drawn aisles of some vast temple, while above them hung 
the dome of heaven, fretted with stars. From the green isle 
beyond the sea, and from Scotland's glen and heather came 
the children of the martyrs, who had sealed with blood their 
testimony for Christ's crown and covenant. Edging their way 
along the slopes of the Alleghenies, the watershed of a great 
continent, their weary feet rested at length upon the fertile 
banks of Enoree and Tyger, founding upon this venerable 
spot a plantation for God. By obscure bridle paths through 
tangled woods, across rocky fords, over which wild streams 
yet dash their shallow floods they came singly and in 
groups to this rude sanctuary in the woods." 

Here too John Peden and his family found food and rest. 
These friends kindly ministered to their needs ere they passed 
on to the hillside where John Peden reared his first cabin 
home. When their first camp fire was kindled and ere an axe 
was laid to fell a tree, or stone was placed, John Peden 
brought from the depths of his wagon the "Book" Seating 
himself on a huge flat rock, with his wife beside him, his 
children and grandchildren around him, Davie with his tired 



THE FEDEXS OF AMERICA. 95 

head on his mother's knee watching the smoke curl up, and 
sparks lose themselves among the trees, striving to keep his 
sleepy eyes wide open. The father opened at the nintieth 
psalm, which he read slowly and impressively, offered a fer- 
vent prayer, and they all joined in singing "Old Hundredth," 
after which they partook of "hominy" and laid themselves 
down to sleep regardless alike of wild beast and yet wilder red- 
man, knowing well that "He who keepeth Israel slumbers not 
nor sleeps." Thus the Peden reared his altar ere he built his 
home. 

These early pioneers held grants or deeds to lands on the 
Tygers and Enoree rivers for several hundred acres of land. 
Of only one of these documents is there any trace and unfor- 
tunately it is lost, being an heirloom in the family of Thomas 
Peden, second son ; a deed for five hundred acres of land lying 
along what is known as Ferguson's creek, bearing the signa- 
ture of George the Third, king of England, &c. The price 
paid was seventy-five cents per hundred acres, equal to three 
dollars and seventy-five cents for the whole five hundred 
acres, with the understanding that a certain portion was to be 
put in cultivation within a given time, one or two years. This 
tract is now in the possession of his descendant, Mr. A. W. 
Gaston, who has many of the characteristics of his fore- 
fathers. It is generally accepted among the Pedens that John 
Peden purchased a larger number of acres because of his four 
younger sons, they all being under age. However all traces 
of these earlier boundaries are lost, for after the War of the 
Revolution, all these lands were regranted and only Thomas 
Peden remained near the old site. Where once stood the 
first cabin home of John Peden is the bare hillside and the 
disused spring at its foot. This pioneer home differed in no 
wise from its neighbors, being simply a kind of pen of rough 
hewn logs, the spaces filled in with clay to keep out the 
wintry blast and too curious gaze of the red-men. Its size was 
20 X 20 feet, one entire end filled by a huge fire-place of stone 
and clay, here swung the crane and pot-hooks of rude manu- 
facture; here was baked the Johnny cake and ash-cake of 



96 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

Indian meal ; here was roasted the wild game from the woods, 
and fish from the streams. In one corner stood the loom, 
near-by the flax wheel, brought across the sea. The furniture 
was of the rudest description, and what need for better in a 
wild land, where the torch of the red-man was so often ap- 
plied and they had to flee for refuge to some fort or block- 
house. Old Fort Prince will serve as a description of all the 
others as there was no essential difference in the style of these 
places of safety. It was named for Wm. Prince, an old set- 
tler. There were several others equally distant, Poole's, near 
Glendale, Nicholls, near "Narrow Pass," on the David Ander- 
son place. Blockhouse, Earle's, Thicketty. Which of these 
afiforded safety to the Peden in times of danger is lost to tra- 
dition. 

The historic Fort Prince was built near the famous Black- 
stock road (once the route used by armies of the Revolution, 
and during the troublous days prior to 1776, also in the piping 
days of peace noted persons have traveled its length) , about 
three-fourhs of a mile from Mt. Zion church, two and one- 
half miles from the present town of Fairforest, near the 
stream now known as Gray's creek, one of the tributaries of 
North Tyger river. This stream is the only water crossing 
the Blackstock road between Motlow's creek, one of the 
prongs of the South Pacol'et river, and the Tyger river at 
Blockstock ford, a distance of forty miles. "The fort was cir- 
cular in shape, of heavy timbers from twelve to fifteen feet 
high ; surrounding this was a ditch or moat the earth from 
which was thrown up against the walls of parapet height. 
This was secured in front by an abatis of heavy timbers mak- 
ing when completed a respectable place of defense against the 
enemy. In the upright pieces port-holes were cut one and 
one-half inches by four inches in diameter for the riflemen 
inside." (Landrum's History of Colonial and Revolution- 
ary South Carolina.) 

Oftentimes their bedding and clothing were concealed for 
weeks in hollow trees, where great piles of brushwood hid 
the openings, at the mercy of mice, squirrels and other sharp- 



THE FEDEXS OF A^IERICA. 



97 



toothed wood folk. Many valuable records were lost in this 
way. Their food was also buried under ground for days, the 
cattle driven ofif to the cane-brakes, or captured by the foe, 
their barn-yards depopulated of poultry and hogs ; yet they 
returned and took up the burden anew, enjoying even a tem- 
porary lull of hostilities. Within a few years they gathered 
about them a few of the rudest comforts of life, happy and 
content to have the freedom to worship as they chose. 

One thing they missed sadly and that was schools for their 
growing youth. The older members were not, as is generally 
supposed, ignorant, this idea is erroneous in the extreme. 
The Scotch-Irish were well educated as a race, and some of 
those wonderfully preserved old yellow documents show a 
scholarship remarkable even at this late day. They seldom 
had the "preached word" for only occasionally during those 
early days did a minister reach them traveling by bridle paths 
from the older settlements or the coast, which was extremely 
hazardous and tedious. The first mentioned was the Rev. 
Joseph Alexander, who came from Philadelphia to minister to 
his brethren in the wilderness. It is presumed that he was 
related to that James Alexander, husband of Mary Peden. 
Why no preacher came over with the Pedens is a source of 
some comment, as one generally came with each ship-load, 
history is silent — possibly he was lost at sea, for many died on 
ship-board, or he may have been on one of the other two 
ships from which they were separated and which subsequent 
events proved reached the Jersey shore. The intensely re- 
ligious nature of the Peden did not suffer from this want for 
he had his Bible and his catechism, and was not a worshipper 
of creed, marking out straight paths by the light from the 
word, he walked therein regardless of man. 

Troubles were brewing too across the sea; the heel of op- 
pression was grinding the colonies ; vague rumors reached 
them through occasional travelers, or when one of their num- 
ber made the perilous trip down to Charleston. The Pedens, 
never remarkable as talkers, did a great deal of thinking, and 



98 THE PEBECS^S OF AMERICA. 

e 

when the fulhiess of time gave opportunity proved them men 
of action. While these distant thunders were muttering in the 
distance, the Pedens on the Tyger and Enoree were clearing 
their lands, attending to their trades and attending strictly to 
their own affairs. Their women were teasing wool, hackling 
fiax, spinning yarn, weaving long webs of cloth, clothing their 
households, if not in purple and fine linen, at least warmly. 
Thfe costume of a pioneer ancestress may not come amiss. 
She wore short comfortable skirts, blue stockings, heavy, 
home-made shoes, a short, full sacque, always different from 
her skirt, this was belted down, a kerchief around her neck, 
and after motherhood a cap over her sunny or raven hair. 
These caps were curious things, a bit of snow-white linen 
cloth folded square, a seam, a slight pucker, a pair of ties, a 
hem and they were done, and fair and sweet was the face they 
framed. The dress of the men was truly pioneer in appear- 
ance. They wore the hunting shirt, belt, powder horn and 
knife, heavy boots, coming well up over their homespun 
trousers, the three cornered hat, and always carried their 
rifles. When at work they removed the outer or fringed deer 
skin hunting shirt, and wore the homespun one provided by 
the thrifty wife at home. For Sunday or holiday occasions 
they shone out in brave attire and were quite splendid in cues 
and powder, lace and buckles. The women were always 
soberly clad like the mother birds. 

[Note — According to Howes' History, the settlements on 
the North and Middle Tygers did not take place earlier than 
1755. This was the year of Governor Glenn's treaty, and the 
statement is corroborated by Ramsey, who refers to the 
colony as following Colonel Clark and settling in Spartan- 
burg County in 1755. (Ramsey's Hist. S. C, page 118.) 
Among these settlers are the present familiar names, Moore, 
Barry, Jordan, Nesbit, Vernon, Collins, Peden, Nichols, Cald- 
well, Wakefield, Anderson, Snoddy, Miller. Mills says in his 
statistics, "This section was settled between 1750-1760, but 
from its exposed situation , it did not much increase in popu- 
lation until 1776. These first settlers were from Virginia, 



THE FEDEXS OF AMERICA. 



99 



Pennsylvania and North Carolina." There was positively no 
communications with the eastern or sea-board colonies earlier 
than 1775. "They were a brave, noble set of pioneers, well 
worthy to be the entering wedge of civilization in the up- 
country of South Carolina. They came to confront the 
Indian tomahawk and scalping knife, with a true heroism and 
patriotism, a spirit of energy and progressiveness, which they 
transmitted to a noble posteriy. They braved all dangers and 
difficulties, and their humble efiforts to better their condition, 

and to lay the foundation for the generations that succeeded 
them have been crowned with success. Therefore it becomes a 
solemn, a sacred duty to — 

"Cherish their memory, 

Glory in their triumphs, 

Emulate their virtues, 

Avoid their mistakes, 

Faithfully discharge the trusts. 

Committed by them to our keeping — " 



522372 



CHAPTER V. 

THE FEDEX IN THE KEVOLUTIOX. 

"Hail Independence ! heavens's next best gift 
To that of life, and air and an immortal soul." 

— Thompson. 

With long, low mutterings the ominous clouds of war were 
ready to burst over the infant colonies. The Pedens were too 
fresh from the land of the oppressor, the house of bondage, 
to forget their wrongs. They had breathed in the spirit of 
Freedom during their brief sojourn in the new world : so were 
ready — among the first to cry, with the Virginia orator : 
"Give me liberty — or give me death !" 

The Pedens being men of action, not of words, were ready 
long before the call came, thinking and thinking deeply, so 
when the cry came echoing down from Boston, and Dan 
Morgan called for men they were ready to respond. An old 
author says : "There came into the camp, among the first 
recruits, a company from over the Carolina mountains of 
Scotch-Irish settlers along the Tygers and Enoree rivers. 
Among them an old man with long locks, white as snow, and 
eyes that flashed like the eagle's. He was tall and somewhat 
bent, as one who had stooped much. He was driving the 
company's wagon and with his seven sons were enlisted ; as 
well as some sons-in-law and not a few grandsons. These 
men fought through the war to its close in rank and file, but 
braver soldiers never were in any army." 

The name of this old man was not given, but there is every 
reason to believe it to be John Peden, as the company was 
a picked one from the famous Spartan regiment. Col. John 
Thomas, Sr. In regard to this regiment it may be of interest 
to give some historic authority in this place, so two are 
quoted. quoted. 

"I had this day (August 21, 1775) a meeting with the people 
in this frontier. Many were present of the other party (Tory), 



THE FEDEXS OE A:MERICA. ioi 

but I have the pleasure to acquaint you that those became 
voluntary converts. Every person received satisfactory rea- 
sons and departed with pleasure. I finished the day with a 
barbecued beef. I have also ordered matters here, that this 
whole frontier will be formed into volunteer companies, but 
as they are at present under Fletchall's (Tory) command, 
they insist upon being formed into a regiment independent of 
him ; and I flatter myself you will think this method of weak- 
ening Fletchall, to be considered sound policy. These people 
are active and spirited; they are staunch in our favor; are 
capable of forming a good barrier against the Indians, and of 
being a severe check upon Fletchall's people. For these 
reasons and to enable them to act with vigor, I shall take the 
liberty of supplying them with a small quantity of ammuni- 
tion, for they have not an ounce, when they shall be formed 
mto regular companies. Several companies will be formed 
by this day week." (Drayton's Memoirs, vol. I., page 374.) 

This regiment, known as the Spartan Regiment, was 
formed on September 11, 1775. A letter from Col. John 
Thomas follows : 

"Spartan Regiment, Sept. 11, 1775. 
"To the Honorable Wm. H. Drayton, Esq. : 

"May it please Your Honor : I this moment received Your 
Honor's favor of the loth inst. ; and very fortunately, the 
command for this district (Spartan), was just assembled at my 
house in order to address the Council of Safety almost on the 
very purport of Your Honor's letter, as we had all the reason 
in the world (and still have) to believe from good information, 
that the malignants (Tories), are forming the most hellish 
schemes to frustrate the measures of the Continental Con- 
gress, and to use all those who are willing to stand by those 
measures in the most cruel manner. Your Honor will be fully 
convinced of the truth of this by perusing the paper trans- 
mitted herewith, to which I refer Your Honor. 

"I shall comply with Your Honor's orders as far as is in 
my power; Your Honor must suppose it impossible to raise 
the whole regiment, as several have families, and no man be 



I02 THE PEDEJfS OF- AMERICA. 

left about the house, if they should be called away. I shall 
take as large a draft as possible from every company, and in 
short, do everything to the utmost of my power, and when 
encamped shall transmit to Your Honor as quick as possible, 
an account of my proceedings. 

"John Thomas." (Col.) 

These quotations show the patriotism of the race. They 
were a people knowing their rights, and knowing dared main- 
tain, and prove that prior to 1776 they were in armed re- 
sistance to unjust taxation from the mother country. From 
Almanance to the finish at Yorktown which acknowledged 
their independence, their names are on muster rolls of every 
force engaged in fighting the foes of liberty. These rolls are 
many of them lost, but a few remain that have been rescued 
from oblivion. The Pedens, Mortons, Alexanders were 
scattered through this regiment, and fought under various 
leaders. A few of the captains of the companies have been 
obtained ; a list of one company has the name of James 
Morton on the roll, Captain Wm. Smith. John Alexander 
was first lieutenant in one company. The names of some of 
the captains many interest the reader. Andrew Barry, John 
Caldwell, Edward Hampton, Shadrack Inman, Wm. Johnson, 
John Collins and others. The Majors were, Samuel Mcjun- 

kin, Joseph Hughes, Chronicle, Benj. Roebuck, Wade 

Hampton. The Colonel was John Thomas. They served 
under Daniel Morgan at the first, later under the partisan 
leaders of Upper South Carolina, taking part in the battles of 
the whole Revolutionary period. 

John Peden, patriot, gave to the Revolutionary army him- 
self and seven sons, James, Thomas, John, William, Samuel, 
Alexander and David ; three sons-in-law, James Alexander, 
Sr., Samuel Morrow, William Gaston ; grandsons, John, 
James, William and Thomas Alexander, John, James and 
David Morton, William, John, James and Thomas (?) Peden; 
about twenty-two in all. Some of these were mere boys, but it 
is a glorious record for one family. "It is not the names that 



THE FEDEXS OF AiNIERICA. 103 

shine brightest on history's pages that have done most for 
any land, it is the unnamed heroes that win the fields of 
glory. It is the fault of history to give too much prominence 
to officers and ignore the men, who fought and died to make 
them great, and in that way the truth is confounded." 

History says, the "first men to respond to the call of the 
Continental Congress were the already organized companies 
gathered together by Daniel Morgan (who had suffered great 
outrages) from the 'over mountains' of Pennsylvania, Vir- 
ginia and the Upper Carolinas. They were determined men, 
stern of mein. and very striking in their appearance. They 
wore coarse, fringed hunting shirts, belted with deer-skin 
bands, trousers of rough cloth, flax, wool or skin made by the 
industrious women in the cabins, raw-hide shoes of the 
roughest kind, woolen hats of cloth, also home-made; some 
three-cornered with springs of green for cockades ; some like 
"Scotch bonnets ;" many brimless crowns ; they carried their 
blankets folded and strapped over their shoulders by thongs 
of deer-skin ; pouches of the same held their day's supply of 
rock-a-hominy (Indian corn parched and pounded coarsely 
between two stones), a handful was eaten, then a cup of water 
was swallowed to moisten ; this, and what wild game their 
rifles brought down had sustained them on the long march 
from the Tygers to Boston. Their arms consisted of their 
rifles, bits of lead, a powder horn, home-made, sometimes a 
cow's horn, sometimes a gourd, a hunting knife, and the 
"Spartan" soldier was ready for the fray." 

John Peden was too old for active service, but made himself 
useful in many ways, but very reticent about any good he 
did. On one occasion he was asked if he did anything in the 
war by a favored grandchild, "Nothing much, nothing much." 
But in the silent watches of the night John Peden retired 
behind his wagon to pray, and in the hottest of the fight his 
hands swifty loaded many a deadly shot into waiting rifles 
and handed them to less skilled hands, many savory messes 
met them on their return to camp from the depths of the "old 
Conestoga wagon, that went through the war." 



I04 THE PEDBNS OF AMEKICA. 

At Valley Forge the Peden left his bloody foot-prints on the 
snow, and tradition tells that the feet of one brother were so 
injured that he never was able afterward to wear shoes in 
comfort (William). Three came home with coughs that 
lasted all their lives, not consumptive but bronchial (John, 
Samuel and Alexander). The barrels of their rifles made 
prints on their shoulders, often wore bare places through 
their clothing; these marks were plainly visible on the 
shoulders of one brother (John) when he was robed for the 
grave in 1810. 

"The darkest hour comes just before daylight." (John 
Peden.) This was 1780, and the territory of South Carolina 
was completely subjugated by the British. After the defeat of 
Gen. Gates the people were crushed and inclined to submit to 
the powers that were for a period of rest, but their minds 
changed very quickly when they realized what the rest meant, 
and a ray of hope gleamed through the darkness, though 
many had taken protection. The Peden sternly refused to do 
this, "he had little worldly pelf, and a life of bondage was 
worse than death, he would hide in caves and dens until the 
calamity be past." (James Peden.) It goes down to history 
that the Peden never took protection, as the proudest record 
of this quiet race. 

Such was the case in Upper South Carolina when a procla- 
mation was issued requiring them to join the British army in 
order to keep their liberty (?) , raised the mettle in their 
natures. While discontent had reigned as well as despair, 
and most of them believed the cause of freedom to be lost, 
and were for quietly submitting to their fate. Those active 
spirits, Sovith Carolina's Immortal Trio, Marion, Sumter and 
Lee, with Roebuck, Mcjunkin and others, who had persist- 
ently defied royal authority Avere working among the Whigs. 
Thomas Peden was with Roebuck, also the Alexanders and 
Mortons, while the others were with Mcjunkin and Hughes. 
Their commands which had been reduced to mere handfuls of 
patriots soon began to swell, and were soon respectable in 
numbers. Hope revived, the people in small parties began to 



THE FEDEXS OF AMERICA. 



105 



rendezvous and arm for resistance. Said they, "If we must 
lesume our arms, let us rather fight for America and our 
friends than for England and strangers." So they flocked to 
the recruiting camps nearest them. Cedar Spring and Earle's 
Ford. Thomas Peden, having preferred outlawry to British 
p -otection, had gone to the Xorth Carolina mountains, in 
I 'edell County, with his wife and children, being a man of 
indomitable will and unconquerable spirit. His father, John 
Peden, would have gladly remained quietly at home, as would 
several of his sons, but the larger number sided with Thomas, 
so the father said, "I follow." Seeing his wife and numerous 
grandchildren safe in Chester, this old patriot, with the eagle 
eyes and lint white locks, again took up the line of march and 
battle cry of "Freedom !" They had been greath^ troubled by 
the false report circulated by Tories, that the Continental 
Congress had abandoned South Carolina to her fate after 
Gates' defeat. Before the year which dawned so darkly (1780) 
ended, the following battles were fought and won : Cedar 
Spring, Thicketty, Wofiford's Iron Works, Earle's Ford, Mus- 
grove's Mill, King's Mountain and Cowpens. All of these 
partisan battles save King's Mountain are within the old 
boundaries of the Spartan district, where the Peden made his 
first home. To the world at large they seem insignificant, as 
compared with some of modern times, yet each one was a 
giant stride on the line of march to memorable Yorktown, on 
that historic peninsula where most if not all of America's 
greatest battles have been fought. Their work did not end 
with Yorktown. They came back to the Carolina hills to find 
the Tory in possession and their families scattered, to plunge 
again into brief but bloody partisan warfare. 

While neither John Peden or his seven sons rose from 
rank and file to oi^ce. one grandson became a Major and 
another Captain. On many of the old grave-stones in the 
rock-walled God's acre at Fairview mav vet be read this 
legend : "A soldier of the Revolution." 



/ 



io6 THE FEDEXS OF AMERICA. 

"They wrought better than they knew — 
The guns they fired that famous day 
Were heard around the world." 

John Peden's was one of the train of wagons that did sue). 
.«-ervice for the cause at King's Mountain so faithfully de- 
scribed by Draper. His sons, sons-in-law, grandsons, ect , 
were among Col. Williams' men in that memorable battle thac 
paved the way to Yorktown. This is from Major Mcjunkin s 
Memoirs by Saye. 

At Cowpens (the writer wishes it were possible to either 
copy, or place a copy of this great partisan battle in the hands 
of every Peden as depicted by Landrum in his History of 
Upper South Carolina) where, figuratively speaking, "they 
fought with halters around their necks," the three youngest 
brothers, Samuel, Alexander and David, were among the 
picked men of Pickens ; men selected with the greatest care 
being brave and daring, all young unmarried men, they were 
culled from the whole of Morgan's army and stationed loosely, 
even carelessly, in the front line. Their names should have 
been preserved, but no record can be found. This front line 
or decoy were instructed to "mark the epaulette men." It 
was a favorite recital of David Peden to tell of this scene to 
his sons long winter nights, how they stood in very unmili- 
tary positions waiting the charge, but the rustling of the wind, 
the fall of a dead twig, put them on the alert ; how when they 
fell back in such perfect order as to throw the enemy into the 
arms of their army; how the color bearer tripped and fell; 
how he snatched the colors and ran on with them until his 
comrade recovered and took them back. 

Then the last scene at Yorktown, when Washington re- 
viewed his army, just before the battle, "when he and his 
staff neared Morgan's 'split-shirt men,' he dismounted from 
his charger, gave the reins to one of the officers, took off his 
three-cornered hat, removed his gauntlet from his right hand, 
held both hat and glove in his left, advanced the entire length 
of the line" shaking hands with all whom he could reach. 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 107 

David Peden said, "That was the proudest moment of my Hfe, 
to clasp the great general's hand, sufficient reward for all the 
hard marching." These last incidents are from David Peden's 
own lips, handed down to the writer by his youngest daughter. 
As a question arises as to where the other Peden brothers 
settled prior to the war of the Revolution, the writer, after 
much exhaustive correspondence with many different mem- 
bers of the race and strangers, evolved the following solution : 
John Peden, his wife and four youngest sons came direct from 
Pennsylvania, with their second son, Thomas. The landing 
took place in New York according to McDill testimony in 
1770-1772. James Peden, the eldest son, came somewhat later 
from Chester, Penna., to Chester, S. C. The Alexander 
family came to Spartanburg just prior to the Revolution. 
They had large connections already settled in Penna., and 
also in Maryland. There are two versions as to the first home 
of the Morton's. First, that the husband of Jane Peden died 
from injuries received during the persecution in Ireland. 
(Remininiscences of her son, David Morton.) Second, that 
he was a brother of John Morton, one of the signers of the 
Declaration of Independence, "the pivot who turned the scale 
that memorable day and died the next ;" after whose death, 
which occurred in Penna. about the same time of his broth- 
er's she, with her five Morton children, turned southward. 
Her marriage to Samuel Morrow taking place in South 
Carolina. The Morrows came from Penna. to South Caro- 
lina. As James Peden was a member of the Provincial Con- 
gress from Chester District, it is safe to presume that he 
settled there, and was 'a coi-d' to draw John and Peggy 
thither, as well as the McDill family. He went to Fairview 
about 1789. (This is from records sent direct from Chester 
by Dr. G. B. White, James Hemphill and others). It is safe 
therefore to assume that James Peden and his sons were not 
of the Spartan Regiments, but with those of Chester. All 
their patriotic hearts beat as one, and when the war ended the 
strong cords of brotherhood and clanship drew them together 



io8 THE FEDEXS OF AilERICA. 

singly and in groups to old Fairview. Those chords are 
broken now and the Peden roams afar. 

The following is a partial Hst of the officers of the Spartan 
Regiment, Battalion of the Tygers : 

Generals — Dan Morgan, Nathaniel Green. 

Colonels — John Thomas, Sr., John Thomas, Jr., Andrew 
Pickens, Wade Hampton, William Austin. 

Majors — Benjamin Roebuck, Joseph Hughes, Samuel Mc- 
Junkin, John Alexander. 

Captains — John Barry, Andrew Barry, John Collins, 
Mathew Patton, William Smith. 

These were not all in command at the same time, as 
will be understood. 

John Morton's name appears on the roll of Capt. Smith's 
company, and John Alexander was first lieutenant, afterwards 
Major, of the "Tyger Irish." 

The officers of the Chester Pedens, as far as known, were : 
Captains— John Hemphill, Berry Jeffries ; and Major Joseph 
Hughes. 

Most of. the old records are lost; fire, flood and winds have 
done their work, and "tradition becomes history." Even if 
the old swords are turned to rust, the old guns classed as rub- 
bish, the powder horns playthings of the generations follow- 
ing, the clanking spurs creations of wonder to the eyes of 
today, a few remain at Fairview. The wheels that spun the 
flax and wool, the looms that wove the "hodden grey" home- 
spun worn by the patriots, have been relegated to long for- 
gotten garrets or becqme fuel long ago, this one grand fact 
remains, the Peden had a share, a very large share, in the 
founding of the glorious fifth power of the world, America ! 



CHAPTER VI. 

MIGRATIONS OF THE PED'EN. 

"Over the mountain's height 
Like Ocean in its tided might 
The Hving sea rolled onward." 

It is the purpose of this volume to trace the Peden back 
into dim and misty realms beyond the sunrise sea, to the old 
home nest in Ayeshire, "in all Scotland," and in Ballymena, 
Ireland, and follow them up, step by step until they reach the 
throne of that long vanished king, Alexander, traditional 
founder of the house. 

Their migrations, with the causes, are historic ; their up- 
rooting in Scotland in 1602-1609; their sojourn in Ireland, 
covers a period of nearly one century. Their banishment to 
the "emerald isle" along with the Hamilton, iMontgomery 
and others under the High Sheriff of Ayre is no longer a 
mooted question, but historically proven. (Douglas Camp- 
bell.) 

That they had some claim on t4ie noble house of Hamilton 
no longer admits of doubt ; but that house was never all 
Protestant, and was ever divided in its religious views, and 
its adherence to the Stuart the pages of history can prove. 
Robert the Bruce, of Norman descent, divided his patrimony 
in Ayre with Hamilton and Douglas on his accession to the 
Scottish throne, and the Peden went with the Hamilton ever 
after in his fortunes. 

In 1630, to prevent the Scotch in Ulster from signing the 
covenant, Charles Stuart, tyrant, imposed the Black Oath, 
in which they swore allegiance to the king, promising never 
to rebel against him, never to protest against any of his com- 
mands, never to enter any covenant or oath without his 
authority. This spread consternation among them, and prov- 
ing obstinate, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Lord Went- 
worth, imposed heavy fines ; this pouring gold into the king's 



no THE FEDEXS OF AMERICA. 

treasury, made him a prime favorite and he was created Earl 
of Strafford. Then he decided to banish the contumacious 
Scotch to the new world and sell them into slavery, but "the 
Lord, who has been our dwelling place in all generations," 
interfered. He was sifting the golden grain for the last great 
planting in America. 

The fates of Charles Stuart and the Earl of Strafford belong 
to English history. While the Peden and his compeers re- 
alized that Ireland was no longer a home for him and his — 
this was his first rude awakening from a dream of security. 

The second came in 1700. The passing of the Test Act 
which completed the suppression of civil freedom. 

It has been the earnest effort of the writer to settle the 
much disputed question as to the date and manner of the emi- 
gration to the New World, so, after much laborious and ex- 
haustive correspondence, both within and without the clan, it 
is yet indefinitely proven. The best solution seems that given 
by the McDill annals ; for they, unlike the Pedens, have kept 
their records dating back nearly three hundred years. This 
migration took place in 1770- 1772. Though destined for the 
Carolinas they lingered for two years in Pennsylvania, "along 
the Jersey shore" in one of the three original counties, gene- 
ral opinion being Berks or Chester, preferably Chester. 

"There were three shiploads of emigrants composed of the 
entire congregation of the church in Balleymena, consisting 
of about three hundred souls, with their pastor, whose name 
is not given but is supposed to have been one Alexander, 
left Belfast port on September 9th, 1768 or 1770. The names 
of these ships, one of them owned in part by the emigrants, 
named the "Eagle Wing" which had attempted to cross thirty 
years before, but proved too heavy and was put back into 
port and remodeled, the "Morning Star," and the "Adven- 
turer." The names of all the captains are lost to history save 
that of Captain Andrew Agnew, who is described as a kindly 
man and a Presbyterian. Of which ship he had charge and on 
which the Pedens came over is lost. The "Eagle Wing," 150 
tons burden, was built in 1735, and attempted its first voyage 



THE PEDENS OF AMEBIC A. iii 

in 1736, having on board one hundred and forty passengers, 
among them the following godly ministers, Revs. Chas, 
Campbell, Jno. Somerville, Hugh Brown and others." But, 
as stated before the ship was driven back. Nothing daunted 
the younger men made the voyage later, and it is a tradition 
that Hugh Brown came with the same company of the 
Pedens, that he went aboard one of the other ships leaving 
"godly Jno. Peden" to look after the spiritual welfare of part 
of his flock on the way over. 

It is a well established fact that the heaviest emigration 
from Ulster took place from 1755-1768. Their destination 
being the "land of Penn." Yet many bore grants to the un- 
opened lands of "Upper South Carolina." It is a curious, if 
not a providential fact, that this favored land of the Quaker 
Penn, ever open to the oppressed, received most of the 
Scotch emigrants from Ireland. It seemed as if they needed 
a brief respite from the bufYetings and trials of the old world 
before encountering those of the new, so the land of Penn 
proved that haven of rest. It is also handed down by the 
families of White, Archer, Martin, Morrow, all of whom came 
to Penna. and settled in Chester County and formed a church 
called Fairview. The McDills also were of this congregation, 
and it has been alBrmed to the writer by her maternal grand- 
mother, Eleanor (Peden) Dunbar, that the Pedens of South 
Carolina named their church at Fairview for both the old 
church in Ballymena, Ireland, and the one in Chester County, 
Pennsylvania. The location of this latter church the writer 
has failed to find after much earnest effort, and is inclined to 
think it a mistake, though there are two Fairviews in Penn- 
sylvania. West Fairview near Harrisburg and Fairview in 
the extreme northwestern portion. If there exists an East 
Fairview she has found no trace as yet. 

Tradition tells that the wife of one of the brothers was a 
Friend or Quakeress ; that she never lost the use of "thee 
and thou" all her life among the Pedens, as well as wore their 
garb, and while she attended faithfully the Presbyterian 
church at Fairview, her views never changed. "She was a 



112 THE PEDEN^S OF AMERICA. 

tiny creature so sweet and demure" clad in her plain drab 
dress with white linen cap and kerchief (three cornered cape), 
and when she learned the secret of dying her peculiar color of 
drab, or dull grey, with an infusion of sweet-gum bark and a 
pinch of copperas, her delight was boundless. 

The White family have recorded many reminiscences of 
their stay in Pennsylvania before coming to South Carolina, 
and as two of the seven brothers married aunts of Gen. Hugh 
Lawson White, and their nephew, David Morton, married 
the youngest sister of the same family it seems conclusive 
that they must have been co-resident. Elizabeth White was 
the wife of Thomas Peden, and Katherine of his brother 
Samuel. The first were married in Ireland and it was their 
infant (Mary) whom Peggy McDill brought ashore in her 
arms and "Mary was her darling all her days." Samuel and 
Katherine were married just prior to the journey southward, 
while tradition says that David Morton and Penelope were 
married in Chester, S. C, after the Revolution. These two 
crossed the seas together as children. 

The Martin family also came from Pennsylvania and "Re- 
becca, wife of Alexander Peden, was the daughter of a neigh- 
bor in the mother country who came over with them." The 
family were undoubtedly from Pennsylvania. 

. The_Mo.rrows, to whom Jane Peden's second husband be- 
longed, was a colonial family of Pennsylvania. They are very 
proud of their record and well they may be. The writer has 
seen some interesting relics of this house. The prevalence of 
the name Eleanor is as significant to the Morrows as to the 
Pedens descending from Eleanor Goodgion, wife of David, 
the seventh son. 

Thomas Hughes, who settled in Chester, S. C, came direct 
from Pennsylvania and across the ocean with the same com- 
pany and he always mentioned the McDills, Millers and 
others as being in the same colony with the Pedens. He 
shared their perilous voyage, and the statement comes from 
him that "under stress of weather the companion ships were 
driven apart at sea, and came together into the same port." 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 113 

He assisted Thomas McDill in quelling the mutiny on ship- 
board. He also gave the name of the ship in which he came 
over as the "Adventurer." This Thomas Hughes came to 
America, as he states, under a heavy cloud. He imparted his 
secret to John Peden alone, under pledge of secrecy, which 
pledge John Peden kept inviolate and was a good friend of 
Thomas Hughes as long as they both lived. Thomas Hughes 
married Annie Miller. Their history would make a vivid 
romance if ever written. Thomas Hughes also states that 
they (owing to the munity) did not reach the port for which 
they were bound (Charleston), but landed on the '"Jersey 
shore," afterwards crossing over to Penna. 

There are also traditions preserved by the James, Collins 
and Thompson families proving that the Pedens sojourned in 
Penna. some years ere coming southward. And the most 
conclusive of all, seems to the writer, the statement of her 
own ancestor, David Peden, that he was a boy of eight or ten 
when he crossed over. He was born in Ireland November i, 
1760. He was strangely silent regarding where the two or 
four interevening years were spent. 

Howe's History of the Presbyterian Church in South Caro- 
lina in responsible for the statement that the Pedens landed in 
Charleston, S. C, and came direct to Spartanburg. His in- 
formants were men and women who came over on the voy- 
age living at the time the book was written. This is accepted 
by Rev. R. H. Reid and also by a great many of the Pedens. 

The shipping records of Charleston were mostly if not 
wholly destroyed during some of Charleston's many catastro- 
phes. No trace is to be found there. 

However they came, through whatever port they entered, 
"they came, they saw, they conquered." Accepting either 
version, John Peden came to America in 1768 to 1770, as the 
old royal grants show, as none were issued after that date 
for two reasons. George the Second died October 7, 1760, 
and "George the Third was king." The other reason is that 
Ireland was fast returning to "a howling wilderness" by the 
departure of the Scotch ; a coast guard was placed and the 



114 THE FEDEXS OF AAIERICA. 

"Press-law" enforced, so it is hardly supposable that a family 
of sons like John Peden's would be allowed to depart together 
and peaceably by a king like George the Third, under a royal 
grant. 

The War of Independence found John Peden and his family 
in Spartanburg County, South Carolina. The family had 
already taken firm root in the new soil. "All seven followed 
their father through those trying days, and all came home 
together," is the statement of a daughter of David the young- 
est. 

At the close of the war the next migration took place bring- 
ing the family to Fairview, in Greenville County. All lands 
were re-granted at this time and this country, recently 
wrested from the Indians, was opened to the settlers, so the 
pioneer Peden came among the very first. This may be con- 
sidered the very cradle of the race, nay, the American house 
of Padan, Paden, Peden, in all its varied spelling. Every fact 
brought to light so far proves, with one exception, that all 
these trace their origin back to South Carolina. Here, with 
three exceptions, the older men and women of the ten origi- 
nal families spent their last years and sleep their last sleep. 
During the year 1803 the Louisiana purchase and acquisition 
of the "great northwest" began to stir the interest of these 
Pedens of the third generation. 1812 brought the excitement 
of war with England and many a stalwart young Peden 
mounted his horse, shouldered his gun and rode away to re- 
turn with tidings of fair land farther on to the westward ; 
Georgia, Mississippi and the great north were holding out 
hands tp these brave, young pioneers to come help build 
up these waste places, occupy these lands. The call was re- 
sistless, they turned their faces toward the setting sun. Part 
of the second generation and most of the third leaving Fair- 
view. 

The story of some of these migrations as told by the ven- 
erable chronicler and clerk of the sessions, Anthony Savage, 
in the oldest church book now in existence, is as follows : 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 115 

"April 4, 181 5 — ^Jno. Peden's family and part of widow 
Peden's family moved to Kentucky ; regularly dismissed." 

"181 5, Oct. 16 — Widow Peden and the rest of her family 
moved to Kentucky." 

"1816 — Thomas Peden and family moved back to Chester, 
S. C, (Rev. Jno. Hemphill pastor at Hopewell church, Chester 
Co., S. C.)" 

"18 1 7 — Robert Morrow, his two sons, Samuel and Thomas, 
with their families moved to Alabama territory." 

"1820 — Maj. Jno. Alexander and family, Wm. Alexander 
and family, leave the State." 

This ends the first manuscript book to be found, therefore 
a period of ten or more years and a number of dismissals or 
emigrations are also lost. 

"1833 — Robert W. Peden, Dan and Alexander Peden 
(brothers), David S. Peden, with their families, regularly dis- 
missed." 

"1835 — Dismissed four of our familes, Wm. Morrow, four 
in number, Jas. Morton, six in number, Wm. Armour, two in 
number, and Jas. McVickers." 

"1836 — Dismissed, Linsay A. Baker and family, four in 
unmber, Samuel H. Baker and family, three in number." 

"1837 — Jas. Peden's family, six in number. Alex. Alexander 
and family, six in number, Wm. Harrison and wife, Jas. Har- 
rison and wife, Alexander Savage and his wife Rosanna" 
(Morton). 

"1843 — Dismissed Andrew W. Peden, Rebecca Peden, Jno. 
M. Peden, Esther E. Peden, A. W. R. Baker, David C. Baker, 
Jno. W. Baker." 

Here also is recorded so beautifully the death of Jenny 
Savage. 

"1847 — The dismissal of Laurens F. Baker and his wife to 
Mississippi." 

Here Anthony Savage lays aside the pen. The historian 
did not have time to follow these dismissals through the 
other books by James Dunbar, who took up the pen where 
Anthony Savage laid it down. He too, after "serving his 



Ii6 THE FEDEXS OE AMERICA. 

generation according to the will of God, fell asleep." The 
pilgrim mantle and stafif then fell to the present clerk, Dr. 
David R. Anderson, worthy successor to these two saintly 
men. From these small beginnings began the "Westward 
ho !" of this now almost numberless race, scattered all over 
these fair United States and in other lands. 

All Padans, Padens, Pedens in America have a common 
ancestry, as is proven by numbers of letters from almost 
every State telling the same legend, "my Peden ancestor was 
from South Carolina, his name was James, Thomas, William, 
Samuel, Alexander, David, or Mary Peden who married Jas. 
Alexander, or Jane Peden, who married first a Morton then 
a Morrow." They are in Tennessee, Missouri, Ohio, Indiana, 
Illinois, Iowa, Michingan, Minnesota, Nevada, Wyoming, 
Washington, Utah, California, Texas, Arkansas, Kansas, 
Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North and South 
CaroHna, Oklahoma, New York, Massachusetts, as well as 
elsewhere. Some are combating the Papist in South 
America, one is in China, some are in the Philippines. All 
these do not bear the clan name of Peden (original spelling), 
but claim and prove their descent from John Peden and Peggy 
McDill. 

It now becomes the duty of the historian to record in suc- 
cession the nine houses of Peden as sent in by their own his- 
torians. Some are very meager. It is the sincere hope, that 
if this volume should ever reach the second edition all missing 
links will be found ; that it may present to the world a perfect 
record. 

In addition to this great house two brothers of John Peden, 
William and James, the former settling in Penna., the latter 
in Virginia, came over early in the past century, or about 
1790. These brothers came down to the Carolinas but only 
lingered awhile as they "could not brook slavery in any 
form," retraced their steps back to the upper settlements, 
founding houses in Pennsylvania and seme other western 
States. Two grandsons of John, the father, William and 
John, sons of James, migrated to Ohio, they had large fami- 



THE FEDEXS OF AMEEICA. 117 

lies with whom the historian has utterly failed to come in 
touch. Other Pedens, who came over prior to the Revolu- 
tionary war, have only recently been traced by the writer, who 
has positive proof in a letter from J. S. Peden, New York 
city, that one Joseph Peden served honorably through the 
war of Independence, who was probably a brother of John 
Peden. His descendants are found in New York, Pennsyl- 
vania, Indiana and Missouri. In 1809 Alexander Peden, son 
of INlingo Peden, who was undoubtedly a brother of James 
Peden, father of John, came to Wilmington, N. C. He was 
the father of three sons, the eldest, Dr. Alexander D. Peden, 
whose biography appears elsewhere, being half brother to 
the two younger, who in time migrated to Kentucky, found- 
ing there the house of Padon. One of these brothers was for 
many years a member of the Kentucky legislature. Of Judge 
Peden once foreign minister under the administration of 
President Pierce, the writer has no trace. He seems to have 
been utterly alone, unless belonging to some of the missing 
links. 

From time to time others of the name have come over 
from the old country and among those of recent date are, 
Jas. R. Peden, of Kansas City, Mo., and David S. Peden, of 
Anaconda, Mont. 



CHAPTER VII. 



OLD HAUNTS AND HOMES. 



"Ancestral oaks ! 
Beneath your mighty shade, 

They reared their altars, brothers hand in hand, 
In shining order, there they stand, 
Like a living hymn written in shining light." 

In the fall of the year 1785 came the Peden brothers, John, 
Samuel, David, with their nephew, James Alexander, and 
their good friend, James Nesbit ; their wives, little ones and 
the few possessions left by the fortunes of war, to the new 
and untried wilderness of what is now Fairview Township, 
Greenville County, South Carolina. Each holding a grant or 
deed from the new government to certain newly acquired 
lands. One of these old documents is still in the possession 
of Capt. D. D. Peden, Houston, Texas, showing the holding 
of David, his ancestor, to have been nine hundred and fifty 
acres. Another, kept by Mr. A. S. Peden, Fountain Inn, Sj 
C, showing that of Alexander, who came a few months later, 
to have been six hundred and fifty acres. David's lands ex- 
tended from Raeburn to Rocky creek. Alexander's lay west- 
ward toward Reedy river ; John's (amount not known) 
reached the river, joining both Alexander, and the Alexan- 
ders, husband and son of Mary Peden ; the lands of James 
Alexander, Sr., were nearest the center, and Fairview church 
is situated near where the lands of James Alexander, Sr., and 
David Peden met, at the church spring. It stands on land 
given by James Alexander, Sr., as the writer understands. 
James Peden, the eldest brother's possessions extended be- 
tween those of John and Alexander Peden, and of Wiliam 
Gaston, husband of Elizabeth Peden ; William's joined 
David's, and both met Samuel's, while those of Samuel Mor- 
row, husband of Jane (Peden-Morton), were further north- 
ward beyond the others, joining her sons David and John 



THE PEDE.XS OF AMEEICA. 119 

Morton and James Alexander, Jr. William for some reason, 
owned less land than his brothers, it is supposed that he pre- 
ferred plying his trade — "blacksmithing" — to agriculture. 
Tradition says that he was "a giant of a man," while his wife, 
Mary Archer, was very small, and very pretty. The writer 
.had great difficulty in locating some of these old spots, and is 
still in doubt about those of Samuel, William and Jane. 

However, to resume the narrative. The younger men, 
David Peden and James Alexander, Jr., acted as guides 
through the trackless woods, "blazing" a pathway for the 
others to follow. After leaving the old historic Blackstock 
road, and crossing the old boundary line on Enoree river, 
they followed an Indian trail for awhile, then struck boldly 
out westward ! Night-fall found them foot-sore and weary 
beside a bold spring of ice-cold water, issuing from among 
the rocks and roots of "three" immense tulip, or poplar trees, 
and rushing swiftly away down a deep narrow valley, to join 
the waters of Raeburn creek. This natural fountain still re- 
mains a favorite resort of the present day ; it has quenched 
the thirst of six or seven generations of Pedens ; has been 
used in their baptisms for over a century, and furnished the 
water supply for the Peden camp during the great ^nd mem- 
orable reunion (1899). Only one "big tree" remains, a silent 
sentinel. 

Here in this green spot the tired guides kindled the first 
camp-fire to have "a cheery blaze" when the others should 
come "up the stream" Soon the whole little company ap- 
peared, and the Httle children ran merrily to the fire, their 
elders following more sedately. Before they allowed them- 
selves to partake of food, or indulge in rest, "the brothers" 
retired apart on the "eastern hillside, beyond earshot," (on 
this spot they afterwards built their first rude "meeting- 
house,") yet where they could over look the little company at 
the spring, joined their hands in solemn covenant with God, 
and each other. Then after a fervent prayer they repeated a 
psalm, and singing "Old Hundredth," they went down to the 
camp. These pioneers then pitched their tents, built boughs 



I20 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

of pine into booths, while the women prepared a simple meal 
of Indian corn porridge known as "mush," this they all ate, 
drinking with it the new milk, which had been hastily drawn 
from the few cows and quickly cooled in "jugs" set in the 
limpid waters of the spring. Afterwards they had a prayer, 
sang a hymn and laid them down to sleep under the star 
studded canopy of heaven. With the Peden God was first, 
His worship more important than creature comfort ; more- 
over, his faith was implicit. (For this scene the writer is in- 
debted to her maternal grandfather, James DunDar, son- in- 
law of David Peden, long years afterward, who had it told to 
him by his venerated father-in-law on the spot ,one quiet Sab- 
bath day when there was "no preaching," as he, James Dun- 
bar, of sainted memory, told the writer sitting beside him on 
the rock-curb of the spring in the sweet summer time of 
1866.) 

On the morrow after "worship" and a scanty breakfast 
work began in earnest. Winter was coming and homes were 
to be built. So after they made the little camp as secure as 
they could, they set out for the scene of the "first cabin 
home." The Indian and Tory were still a menace. Raeburn 
and his band still lingered near, but for some reason, God 
only knows, they did not molest the "hated Peden." 

Soon the women at the camp, "Katie" White, wife of Sam- 
uel, Betsy Ann Baker, wife of John, and Eleanor Goodgion, 
wife of David, also Mary or "Polly" Miller, wife of James 
Alexander, Jr., the wife and children of James Nesbit, had 
their first callers, these were an Indian woman and her half- 
breed daughter named "Dagg" or Dagnall. The mother was 
skilled in "simples" and other woodlore which was gladly 
welcomed by thse pioneer house wives, so they kindly made 
room for them around the camp-fire. While the Indian 
woman smoked and grunted over her pipe, the daughter 
made herself useful, and most acceptable help she soon be- 
came. To the children, however, she was a source of terror. 
"I'll call Sal Dagg to get you" was a direful threat, or "You're 



THE FEDEXS OF AMERICA. 121 

as mean as Sal Dagg" an epithet of keenest insult. This 
meanness consisted in concocting nauseous doses and pour- 
ing them down reluctant throats, for various childish mala- 
dies, this medicine they called "garbroth;" otherwise Sarah 
Dagg was a harmless, useful creature, despite her weird ap- 
pearance, also she was a safe-guard against both Indian and 
Tory. Ere long both left the country in quiet possession of 
the Pedens, leaving only the name of Raeburn to the once 
turbulent, but now quiet, stream that flows through the 
lands once owned entirely by Pedens. 

Soon the sound of the axe re-echoed through the forest, 
the trees felled, the rough hewn logs ready, the oaken boards 
riven. One of the brothers built a blacksmith's forge and 
made spikes of all the bits of iron attainable, and some old 
swords and gun barrels went that way. One was a stone- 
worker so they were independent, each one had a trade and 
they all worked together. The house of James Alexander 
was the first one built ; the women assisted in drawing the 
logs by chains, and when the walls of the cabins were 
reared beyond reach the men mounted them and the women 
placed the chains around the logs so that they could be 
pulled up and placed by them. These colonial cabins were 
"twenty by twenty feet square," with huge chimneys in one 
end, these stand many of them and are beautiful specimens 
of stone-craft. There were no windows, only one door, this 
opened eastward for two reasons ; first, a crack was left 
above it to show the coming dawn ; the second, clocks were 
almost unknown and the sun marked the hours on the floor, 
what they did in cloudy weather is not handed down, but 
doubtless they had other signs as to how time was passing. 
The walls were smoothed, the crevices fiilled with clay, then 
white washed with this same white, blue or "pipe clay." The 
floors were of packed earth neatly sanded and swept into fan- 
tastic figures. In time however rude plank or "puncheons" 
covered them. These first homes were built exactly alike. 
All were built near some cool spring, and each had its shel- 



122 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

taring black walnut tree, as Alexander Peden said, "The 
walnut gave both fruit, shade and also dye stuff." 

The author remembers to have stood, a child of ten, up- 
right in the great fire-place of the first chimney (Jas. Alex- 
ander, Jr.,), it was then part of "the kitchen," among the 
"pot-hooks" and "hangers," with its revolving "spit"; many 
were the great dinners it furnished forth, and the sable 
priestess of the everlasting fire informed her that the dinners 
were served when the sun came down the chimney and shone 
on the pots, exactly at noon. Alas, it is a ruin now, and a 
stranger owns the land. This old home stood on the "head- 
waters" of North Raebur4i creek, that is, the great spring 
was the source of this stream. Along the roadway stretched 
a line of tall cedars, and down to the creek an avenue of 
stately walnuts. These trees were all cut down and disposed 
of, for some strange reason, during the civil war, 1861-1865. 
Imagination brings back the ruddy faced, jovial gentleman, 
the stately dark-eyed dame, "Polly Miller," who spent her 
last days in a cripple's chair ; gone are the tall and beautiful 
daughters, all so like the dear old mother, the sons all scat- 
tered like the leaves of the forest, leaving no trace. 

In the greenest of green valleys stood the cabin of David, 
the seventh son, and it stands today erect, proud as in the 
day when David Peden first bowed his tall form to enter the 
door-way to hang up his rifle and welcome his young wife to 
her forest home, very bare it must have looked, but she was 
brave and true, she was very young ; tradition tells us she was 
fair to look upon. Soon the home was furnished simply. It 
was a snug warm nest for the large brood it was to shelter. 
In front of the door stood a walnut tree too and its shadows 
fell athwart the floor when the sunshine played in. Around 
about it the everlasting hills in verdure clad, a sheltered 
spot, a safe retreat. Of the old land marks only the main 
house and chimney stands as of yore ; gone the trees, the 
orchards ; all save one hillside of primeval forest yet spared by 
the axe of civilization. Even the old spring has vanished. 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 123 

Hushed the voices of the children, who, with their descen- 
dants, found homes and graves in other States, while the old 
cradle home has passed, a silent monument, into other hands. 
It is now the property of L. Brownlee, going out of the fam- 
ily in the troublous days of 1864- "65. 

Across the roadway toward the sunset, in another green 
valley, lay the home of William Peden, of which some traces 
may be found, but the most marked is the wonderful spring 
which seems never to fail, and which was the delight of these 
dear people. From out this home they went westward long, 
long ago, and it too went to the stranger in about 1820. 

John Peden's home, too, nestled in a valley. The author 
saw it only once ; then there were a few traces, the spring 
with its square stones, the walnut trees, the old house, now- 
only a part of the old house remains. John dying in 1810, 
his family left the old nest and went westward ; after passing 
through many hands it has come again into the hands of the 
Peden, Mrs. i\nn Peden, whose husband was a Hneal descen- 
dant of Alexander, the sixth son. 

The home of Samuel, unlike the others, was on an emi- 
nence commanding a fine view. The old house is still stand- 
ing, but has been added to and is well preserved. So far as 
can be ascertained it has always belonged to a Peden, not 
always of descent from Samuel. The present owner, Mrs. 
yi. C. Templeton is descended from Alexander and Thomas, 
two of the original brothers. 

The early home of James, the eldest brother, who came 
later to Fairview, stood on a hill-crest, at whose foot rushed 
a bold spring. Only a splendid walnut tree and pile of stone 
now marks the spot. It has never left the Pedens, and is now 
owned by Airs. W. M. Stenhouse, a descendant of Alexander, 
the sixth son. 

Alexander Peden's cabin home stood on a high hill, over- 
looking the surrounding country. Only a sunken spot marks 
the cellar. Like the others this home was of logs with a 
huge stone chimney facing the road, while a big walnut tree 



124 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

shaded the roof, whose charred stump now lies mouldering 
near where it once stood in towering beauty. The hill is now 
a vast field of cotton, or waving grain, the spring lies a 
pellucid pool at the foot of the hill,reflecting the stars at 
night, and heaven's own blue by day. Nearby are the rock 
foundations of the old barn, curious and skillful bits of stone- 
masonry of a past age. This old home place is now the prop- 
erty of Dr. H. B. Stewart, whose noble wife is a lineal de- 
scendant of the first owner, Alexander, the sixth son. 

Between this and the land of James Peden there rushes a 
brave little stream known as the "Peden branch," it is fed by 
two or three Peden springs and comes merrily down among 
the ferns and mosses like Tennyson's brook — 

"For men may come and men may go — 
But I go on forever." 

It rushes madly along over "cold grey stones" in glad- 
some whirls and eddys. Oft have the white feet of the Peden 
daughters been laved in its coolness in by-gone days. At 
one place it flows between two steep hills. An old road-way 
is still visible, though long disused and almost forgotten. Up 
and down these hills the Peden traveled wearily to and from 
market (Charleston or Augusta) before the days of railroads. 

The homes of the Peden sisters were more pretentious 
than those of the brothers, for ere they came to Fairview 
wondrous strides had been made. David had acquired a saw- 
mill, also one for grist "on the creek." The site is now to be 
seen, and part of the picturesque dam of black-gray rocks 
yet exists on the land of Hon. John R. Harrison, Hneal de- 
scendant of James, the eldest son. There were several forges 
among the brothers, as each had some useful trade besides 
his farm. David Morton had brought his tools and was quite 
a good carpenter, having learned under his loved grand- 
father, John Peden. 

Of these homes, that of Mary, or "Polly," wife of James 
Alexander, Sr., was by far the most attractive, being "a colo- 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 125 

ni'al mansion, a wonder in those days." It had, and has mas- 
sive brick chimneys, and in the memory of the writer was a 
lovely old home, embowered in a grove of immense oaks and 
walnuts, a long vista of the later as far as eye could reach ; 
down a steep hill at the back of the house was the lovliest 
spring and spring-house. It did not take much play of fancy 
to call up visions of the courteous old gentleman with snowy 
hair, knee buckles and ruffles, and the stately dame with the 
"keen, dark eyes," known as "Aunt Polly". The great doors 
stood wide open towards the high road. In that mansion 
where the old clock ticked against the wall there was free- 
hearted hospitality — one hundred years ago. Today — it 
stands a tottering ruin, a monument to the past, the brave 
sons of Alexander, and the fair daughters also, have scat- 
tered far and wide, after passing those fair portals, while the 
dear old people rest in the rock walled God's acre over the 
hill at Fairview. James Alexander was the first magistrate 
at Fairview. He was as large-hearted and open handed a col- 
onist as the old world ever furnished the new, but his noble- 
ness must be left to his proper historian. 

The second sister, Jane, the wife of Samuel Morrow, whom 
tradition says was a fair counterpart of her mother, "Peggy 
McDill," The spirit of the pioneer was strong within her. 
The house of Samuel Morrow was also colonial, and stood 
on a fair hill. Not a trace now remains, not a stick, tree or 
stone. It was a square house. "Pretty Jenny" liked to look 
abroad so there was not so many trees. The site is on 
the land of Edward Martin, whose wife is descended from 
both Thomas, the second son, and Alexander, the sixth son. 

Elizabeth Peden, wife of Wm. Gaston, lived in a double 
house ; her home was the favorite resort of her family. There 
seems to have been some wealth there, for it is said that Wm. 
Gaston, while only a silk-weaver in the old country, was of 
high lineage, that his guests were warmed with ruddy, old 
wine, surely not of colonial vintage, poured from flagons of 
silver bearing arms and crest ; silver took the place of pewter 



126 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

in this house. Gone is the sweet warm-hearted hostess ; gone 
the grand old host with the deep, bkie eyes, the tall princely 
form, that bowed so gallantly to the ladies, yet so proudly 
borne in the face of foes. Lost the flagons, faded the fra- 
grance of the wine. Out of the broken hearthstone there was 
growing some years ago a tall graceful sycamore tree. The 
very stones are gone, tradition says they were used to build 
the pillars of Pisgah church, which is near by. The Gaston 
home is now owned by Mr. Louis Thomason. The Gastons 
were childless so their memory will live only on the memo- 
rial tablets of their tombs and unworthy pages of this hum- 
ble volume. 

Thomas Peden never came to live at Fairview. The fol- 
lowing is from letters of his lineal descendant and family 
historian, Amzi Williford Gaston, who owns and resides on 
the lands of his fore-fathers : 

"I cannot locate the exact spot where John Peden and 
Peggy McDill built their first cabin ; but I can come within 
a few yards of it. There is not a tree or stone left; nothing 
but the bare hillside. The spring is still there, of course it 
is not much used, and is all grown over with bushes and 
briars. Thomas Peden, son of John and Peggy, is buried 
one mile from where I live, and I see his grave occasionally. 
He had a deed or grant for five hundred acres of land here 
on Ferguson's creek, where I live, from King George. The 
deed is lost, so that I cannot get the date, but recollect seeing 
it several years ago. The price paid was seventy-five cents 
per hundred acres, or three dollars and seventy-five cents for 
the whole five hundred acres, with the understanding that 
a certain portion was to be put in cultivation in the first year 
or two. My grandfather, Andrew Peden, inherited the plan- 
tation I now live on from his father, Thomas, so you see it is 
still in the family and has been ever since it was granted to 
Thomas Peden in 1770- 1772. The house he, Thomas, built 
after the Revolution was a large, two-storied one, painted 
red with white doors, and was destroyed by fire in 1854." 



THE FEDEXS OF AMERICA. 127 

Of the early home in Chester the writes has been utterly 
unable to obtain a trace, save that it was near old Catholic 
church, also located on lands adjoining the large possessions 
of the AIcDills, and probably after the death of John and 
Peggy, and the removal of their son, James, to Fairview, 
passed into their hands. The road thither being so intricate 
and difficult the writer shrank from making a personal tour of 
investigation. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



PAIRVIBW AND THE PEDEOST. 



"The base and foundation of the Church and Nation is the 
Family." 

"Fairview stands with hills surrounded — 
Fairview kept by power Divine." 

The history of Fairview church and the history of the foun- 
ders of the Peden race in America are literally one and insep- 
erable. 

The devout spirit coming down through long centuries — 
Culdee to Covenanter, Covenanter to Presbyterian; passing 
through the ordeals of blood, fire, death itself, to win the 
crown of martyrdom. 

The following quotation is, in the main, from the centen- 
nial address of Rev. Marion C. Britt, lineal descendant of 
David, the seventh son, delivered at old Fairview to an im- 
mense congregation on the morning of September 25th, 1886, 
one hundredth anniversary of its organization : 

"Fairview church was organized during the fall of 1786, 
by these five families, John Peden's, Samuel Peden's, David 
Peden's, James Alexander's, James Nesbit's, and was re- 
ceived April 10, 1787, under the care of South Carolina Pres- 
bytery. That the organization was effected in the year 1786 
rests upon reliable and conclusive evidence. It was recorded 
by Mr. Anthony Savage, in his sketch of the church while 
some of the first members still lived and upon their state- 
ment. It is a matter of regret, however, that no record has 
been preserved, that can be found, of the month and day. 
There is ground for the presumption that it was near the 
close of the year. The fact that the church did not join Pres- 
bytery until the spring of the following year renders it proba- 
ble that the organization took place subsequent to the fall 
meeting of that body. This opinion is also strengthened by 
the fact that the third Sabbath in December was selected for 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 129 

the semi-centennial celebration, at which time it is reasonable 
to suppose the exact date was still well known among the 
people. In 1787 three other families — those of James Alex- 
ander, Sr., William Peden, John Alexander and David Mor- 
ton, a son of the second sister, Jane — came from Nazareth 
and united with the infant church. There were also other ac- 
cessions to it, probably as early as the first year, from families 
living in Laurens County, Alexander Peden among them. 

"It is worthy of record that a house of worship was built 
and the church organized the same year in which the ne>v 
settlement was made. They came with no doubt limited 
means, to a territory but recently obtained from the Indians 
and therefore devoid of the comforts of civilized life. There 
were dense forests to be felled, fields prepared and cultivated 
and houses built. The rude tem.ple which they erected for 
the worship of God under such circumstances becomes a 
grand testimony to their reHgious faith and zeal, and recalls 
the example of the patriarch of old who as he journeyed from 
place to place with his family, wherever he rested he builded 
an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord. 

'Tn the course of the next few years all the Pedens except 
the father and mother, who remained in Chester County, and 
Thomas who continued at Nazareth, had collected around 
Fairview with their familes. They are all buried here, except 
Samuel and Jane. The former moved to Mississippi in 1832 
and rests in Smyrna church-yard, Kemper County. Jane 
moved to North Alabama and rests near Somerville. 
Thomas lies in a family burying ground on his old home- 
stead, near Nazareth church, which he helped to found, in 
Spartanburg County, South Carolina. 

"The Rev. Samuel Edmondson preached the first sermon 
and organized the church ; but this was the extent of his 
labors in connection with it. He was a Virginian, who came 
to this State soon after he was licensed by Hanover Presby- 
tery in October, 1773, 'and spent a useful life.' The first 
ruling elders were John Peden, Samuel Peden, James Alex- 
ander, Sr., and his son, John Alexander. The first minister 



130 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

employed by the church was the Rev. John McCosh from the 
north of Ireland, who served one year as stated supply. It 
was during his ministry that the sacrament of the Lord's sup- 
per was administered for the first time. He was assisted by 
the Rev. Robert McClintock (who was related to the Peden 
family), and we are told that it was 'a. season of great interest 
and solemnity.' (Fairview kept up the custom of giving 
tokens of admission to the communion as late as 1840-1850. 
These were small bits of metal bearing the name of the 
church, and the candidate for admission had to answer some 
searching questions by the elders ere obtaining one.) These 
two ministers on account of their Pelagian views, were 
never recognized by South Carolina Presbytery, and it cen- 
sured Thomas Peden of Nazareth for taking part in this 
communion as being disorderly. There was also a division in 
the church connected with the doctrine and practice of these 
ministers, but it was of short duration. From the time Rev. 
McCosh ceased to serve the church until 1794, Revs. J. Fos- 
ter, J. Simpson and William Montgomery preached occasion- 
ally, but there was no regular supply. In 1794 Rev. James 
Templeton was called as stated supply for half of the time, 
and so continued for six years. During the year 1798 Revs. 
Wm. Williamson and James Gilliland are mentioned as sup- 
plying the church ; but it is probable that they merely assisted 
Mr. Templeton, whose term of service embraced this year. 
From 1800 to 1802 the pulpit was again vacant, Revs, John 
Simpson, James Gilliland, Sr., and William Williamson were 
occasional supplies. In 1802 the church united with Naza- 
reth to call as pastor the Rev. James Gilliland, Jr., each 
church for half of the time. (One of the Gillilands, father or 
son, was avowdely opposed to slavery and eventually went to 
the northwest territory carrying quite a number of Pedens 
with him.) Mr. Gilliland was licensed by the second South 
Carolina Presbytery April 8, 1802, and on April 7, 1803, was 
ordained and installed pastor of Nazareth and Fairview 
churches. He is described as 'a good scholar, a lively 
speaker, and popular in his manners.' He was the first pas- 



THE FEDEXS OF AMERICA. 131 

tor of the church, and it prospered under his ministry. His 
relation to the church continued until 1812 (date of the first 
emigration to the northwest territory). From 1812 to 1814 
Revs. James Hillhouse, Thomas Archibald, Joseph Hillhouse 
and Alexander Kirkpatrick were occasional suppHes ap- 
pointed by Presbytery. In 1814 Rev. Hugh Dickson became 
stated supply for one-fourth of his time, and so remained 
until the spring of 1816, when he resigned and was succeeded 
by Rev. James Hillhouse, who only served the church until 
October of that year. From the fall of 1816 to the spring of 

1817 Rev. Thos. Archibald supplied the pulpit, and from 1817 
to 1818, Mr. Alexander Kirkpatrick, a licentiate of the Pres- 
bytery of Ballymena, Ireland, was stated supply. (This "fair, 
fat and rosy Irishman" was a great favorite with the younger 
portion of the congregation, while the elders did not consider 
him sufficiently sedate; to their reproofs he returned the 
reply, "only a Christian has a right to be happy.") From 

1818 to 1820 Rev. Thos. Baird occupied the pulpit a portion 
of the time ; but for the most part the church was dependent 
upon irregular supplies. It was however a period of activity in 
the church, as is shown by the records. Among other items 
of interest which they contain we find the following: August 
II, 1818. 'About this time our new meeting-house is finished 
and dedicated by Rev. Mr. Carter. In the spring of 1820 Mr. 
Michael Dickson, who was at the same time hcensed by the 
Presbytery of South Carolina, began to supply the church 
under the direction of the Presbyterial Committee of Mis- 
sions, and in the fall was called as pastor by the congrega- 
tions of Nazareth and Fairview, each for half the time, and 
was ordained and installed as such April 5, 1821. His con- 
nection with Fairview ceased in 1827, and the church was 
again vacant until 1832, Messrs. Watson and Craig being 
appointed by Presbytery as occasional supplies. It is proba- 
ble that this period embraced the ministry of Rev. Arthur 
Mooney, but as the church records covering this period are 
lost the information is not positive. (There is a blank of 
about ten years for some reason in the records, some of the 



132 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

old people now living say that the spirit of contention was 
abroad among- the brethren.) In 1832 Rev. Jno. Boggs, of 
Virginia, took charge of the church, first as stated supply, 
then in the fall as pastor for half of the time. Rev. Boggs 
was pastor when Rev. David Humphrey was called as stated 
supply and continued so for three years (division the cause). 
He was succeeded by Rev. Wm. Carlisle in 1838, who was 
stated supply for six years. In the fall of 1845, the Rev. 
John McKitrick, who was stated supply during the previous 
six months, was installed pastor. He resigned in 1847 and 
was succeeded by Rev. Dr. E. T. Buist as stated supply, for 
six years. (This relation continued most pleasantly until Dr. 
Buist was called as pastor elsewhere, and Fairview gave him 
up most reluctantly.) Here we reach the ministry of Rev. C. 
B. Stewart, which extends over a period of thirty years, and 
embraces the era of greatest church enterprise and prosper- 
ity (moreover harmony). He began to serve as stated sup- 
ply for eighteen years, when he consented to become pastor, 
and so remained for twelve years. In 1884 he felt it to be his 
duty to have the pastoral relation dissolved on account of 
the growing infirmities of age. He still residing in the midst 
of the people whom he had served so long and faithfully, 
held in the deepest veneration and love." Rev. M. C. Britt, 
his worthy successor, was installed pastor in the fall of 1885, 
having already had charge of the church since November, 
1884, as stated supply. He being a son of Fairview, as line- 
ally descended from David, the seventh son. 

"There have been four church buildings. The first was 
built of logs and located, if tradition correctly marks the spot, 
not far from the church spring, on the east side. The second 
was also a log structure and situated near the spot on which 
the brick church afterwards stood." This long, low building 
had an earthen fioor. Huge stone chimneys filled each 
end; the seats were of puncheons or slabs supported with 
pegs and placed against the walls. Light and air were ad- 
mitted through openings near the roof, made by leaving out 
a few logs. The preacher occupied a rude pulpit in the middle 



THE PET>EiNS OF AMERICA. 133 

of the space and preached all around. The third was a brick 
building which for some unaccountable reason, was rased 
nearly a half century ago, and is a source of keen regret. The 
writer with some assistance has outlined a rude sketch. The 
exterior presented the appearance of a huge brick barn, with 
a heavy square roof, without gables. Only a few years ago 
there could be found the remains of the gallery stairs, solidly 
built of brick, which ran up along the western side and opened 
into a wide gallery across one end and used for colored mem- 
bers. On the eastern or "sunny side" the older women gath- 
ered to smoke the friendly pipe, lighting them in summer by 
means of sun glasses, and to indulge in a bit of whispered 
gossip, generally harmless, during "intermission." To this 
sheltered side the mothers of babies stole out during service 
to quiet their crying so as not to disturb "meeting" and rest 
the tired little mortals, for Peden babies were expected at 
church when a few weeks old, and unlucky the small mite 
who went unbaptized past the sixth month of its existence. 
They grew upon the gospel, the catechism, and long sermons, 
these last were never delivered for less than one hour, oftener 
two, for in early days preaching was rare, therefore of great 
value. There was usually an intermission of a few hours at 
noon spent under the great trees in summer, around hospita- 
ble tables ; in winter or inclement weather they gathered in 
the old log church or session house, a few rods away, where 
sometimes in very severe weather services were held as there 
was no way of heating the church building. 

A very dim and vague picture of the interior is submitted 
as drawn from the reminiscences of a few of the dear old 
people yet at Fairview, but mostly from memories of the 
writer's own sainted mother, who delighted to talk of the 
dear old church of her own happy girlhood. The great doors 
at either end north and south were mullioned while those in 
the sides were small and bastioned. The windows were 
placed high in the walls and had shutters, no glass, and 
during the coldest weather stood open, consequently some 
shivering was done, although the early Pedens were a hardy 



134 THE PEDENS OF AMEKICA. 

race, and lung troubles almost unknown among them. The 
aged and the infirm had rocks heated in the fire-places of the 
sesssion house and well wrapped in blankets or woolen cover- 
lets to keep their feet warm during the long service. It was 
the good fortune of a few to possess soap-stones. To com- 
plain of being cold during "meeting" was considered a weak- 
ness bordering on crime as the sermons were supposed to 
keep the congregation warm. 

The seats or pews were arranged in tiers or terraces of 
four then a step up or down as the case might be, that is, 
down from the doors towards the pulpit. Fairview church 
never countenanced the practice prevalent in most country 
places of worship of the men sitting on one side of the middle 
line the women on the other ; their families were required to 
sit together under the eyes of their parents. 

Above the pulpit hung the sounding board, this curious 
relic of a byegone age resembled an open umbrella or huge 
wooden toad-stool. The boxed up pulpit was so small, and 
so high with steps so steep and narrow that a visiting minister 
once gave great offense by remarking, "Satan must have 
planned this pulpit." About halfway down was a smaller box 
known as the "clerk's" place and from this perch he "lined 
out" the psalms and hymns for the congregation to follow 
his lead in singing. The last occupant was Moses T. Fowler, 
of the house of Thomas, the second son. 

Supporting the huge roof through the wide middle aisle 
were large pillars, great trees hewn into shape, also down this 
space were placed the communion tables and benches. This 
beautiful custom is fast disappearing or falling into disuse. 
These tables were closely fitted together end to end across 
the entire building with benches placed alongside for solemn 
occasions. The long snowy linen cloths were of home manu- 
facture, the flax having been grown, hackled, spun, woven 
and bleached, by Peden women ; one of whom was regularly 
appointed by the session to take charge thereof and great 
was the honor conferred, as well as the pride and pleasure 
taken in keeping them beautifully laundried, and scented with 



THE FEDEXS OF AMERICA. 135 

thyme, cedar and lavender. They too prepared the un- 
leavened bread for the communion. (The old Pedens would 
have lifted hands of holy horror at what is now used in the 
service. The writer was unable to ascertain the exact num- 
ber of seats, but they were numbered Hke those of the present 
church, that is, all even numbers on one side, uneven on the 
other. For example, David Peden's family occupied number 
12 and exactly opposite in number 13, against the east wall, 
sat his sister, Jane Morrow, and after her her son David 
Morton, while James Dunbar took the seat left vacant at the 
death of David Peden. Nine of the first family had sittings 
in the old church, while most of the congregation were their 
descendants. It must also be borne in mind that a number of 
them emigrated as early as 1811-1814, and some had departed 
to the church above. 

To resume. "The fourth and present edifice is a large com- 
modious wooden structure. It was built principally by a 
legacy left by David Morton, aided also by general subscrip- 
tion. It was completed during March, 1858, and was dedi- 
cated by the saintly David Humphrey, assisted by Rev. Dr. 
E. T. Buist, on May 15th of that same year. This occasion 
was also a season of great spiritual blessing to the church and 
the membership was much revived. 

"The congregation of Fairview has always been a homo- 
geneous body. Those who first composed it and the pious 
households of godly men and women that have been added to 
it from time to time, belonged to a common ancestry. They 
had the same faith and customs. The history of Fairview, as 
a consequence, has not been a process of harmonizing con- 
flicting elements with a composite result, as is true of so 
many churches and other institutions in this country'; on the 
contrary, the natural and almost uninterrupted growth of an 
unmixed Scotch-Presbyterian church, on American soil. 
This growth has been remarkably uniform in its nature. It 
has been a progress marked not by sudden expansions, but 
by a regular increase. It has the proud distinction of being 
the mother of Presbyterianism in Greenville County, and of 



136 THE PEDBNS OF AMEHICA. 

many, many churches, in other States, colonists who have 
carried with them her faith and spirit. Several of her sons 
are in the ministry. An imperfect roll of communicants from 
the beginning to 1886 contains about twelve hundred names. 

"The church has suffered greatly at times from emigration, 
and whenever there has been a decrease in membership it 
must be attributed to this cause and not to the loss of spiri- 
tual influence and hfe. It has now (1886) one hundred and 
forty-six communicants. The century of her existence has 
been rich in blessings and we can raise our Ebenezer today 
with thanksgiving and praise. She bears no marks of decay, 
and if her children are only faithful to their heritage, it can be 
said of her that she has but entered upon her divine mission 
of the 'gathering and perfecting of the saints.' " 

A list of the various ministers and elders, as well as dea- 
cons, who have served Fairview is appended as of interest to 
the readers of this book. 

Ministers. — Revs. Samuel Edmundson, John McCosh, 
John Foster, James Simpson, James Templeton, William 
Williamson, William Montgomery, James Gilliland, Sr., 
James GilHland, Jr., Hugh Dickson, John Boggs, Wilham 
Carhsle, John L. Kennedy, James Hillhouse, Thomas Archi- 
bald, Joseph Hillhouse, Alexander Kirkpa'trick, Thomas D. 

Baird, Cater, Micheal Dickson, David Humphries, 

Arthur Mooney, John McKittrick, Edward T. Buist, Clark 
B. Stewart, Marion C. Britt, William G. F. Wallace, Henry 
W. Burwell, David S. McAlHster, W. W. Ruff. 

Elders. — John Peden, Samuel Peden, James Alexander, 
Sr., John Alexander, Alexander Peden, William Peden, 
Robert Morrow, Anthony Savage, James Peden, T. W. Alex- 
ander, Lindsay A. Baker, David Morton, James Dunbar, 
James Alexander, Jr., Alex. Thompson, Adam Stenhouse, 
John M. Harrison, Austin Williams, James E. Savage, A. 
Wilson Peden, T. H. Stall, Wm. A. Harrison, T. L. Wood- 
side, Wm. L. Hopkins, David R. Anderson, Robt. Wham, 
David Stoddard, J. W. Kennedy, H. Boardman Stewart, A. S. 
Peden and others whose names have not reached the writer. 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 



137 



Deacons. — John T. Stenhouse, Wm. Nesbit, Thos. L. 
Woodside, W. L. Hopkins, C. D. Nesbit, T. C. Peden, A. S. 
Peden, M. P. Nash, T. C. Harrison, D. R. Anderson, Thos. 
H. Stall, S. T. McKittrick, D. M. Peden, E. W. Nash, J. T. 
Peden, Jeff D. McKittrick and others since 1886. This office 
was not established until 1858. 

The fair temple of today stands on an eminence facing 
northward toward the "everlasting- hills." Southward the 
sunny fields and valleys. On the eastward slope lies the 
stone-walled God's acre where so many generations sleep 
awaiting the summons to awake. Its walls now enclose most 
of the site of the old brick church on whose "sunrise corner" 
stands the gleaming monument to the Peden race. This 
sacred enclosure is a silent, solemn epitome to man. On the 
western slope, at about the same distance, a few hundred 
yards, is the new session house, built with the present sanctu- 
ary. Both of these session houses have been used for 
schools, though the academy proper is some miles away, and 
belongs to the educational history of Fairview. The older 
Pedens were not indifferent to the education of their children, 
and at one time Fairview was a centre — drawing pupils from a 
distance. The first school was taught in humble fashion be- 
neath the giant oaks that surround the present home of Mrs. 
Jane (Peden) McDowell, by a friend of the Mortons and 
Morrows, a Mr. Moffat. He was succeeded by others, names 
lost, until about 1820-1825, when the academy was estab- 
lished and became famous, who the teachers were is lost 
until the Rev. Boggs and his wife took charge, sometime in 
1830-1840. They were followed by one Thomas Walker, and 
later Thomas Flannagan. Around the latter hangs a halo 
of romance, wrapped in mystery, it was hinted that he was 
one of the political exiles of France contemporary with the 
great Marshal Ney. Prior to these two there taught at Fair- 
view, dates not given, Antony Savage and James Dunbar, the 
latter came to Fairview direct from Antrim, Ireland, in 1821. 
Married Eleanor G. Peden in 1824. Anthony Savage, de- 
dscribed as a "clerkly" man, preceded James Dunbar a num- 



138 THE PEDBNS OF AMERICA. 

ber of years. He was also direct from Ireland and married 
Jane (or as she was lovingly called "Aunt Jennie"), daughter 
of James Peden. 

The later history of the Fairview schools is so varied and 
vague that the writer has almost no information to impart 
further than there has always been a school at Fairview. 
Some of the later teachers were, Revs. Hyde, C. B. Stewart, 
Austin, Kennedy and others, including not a few excellent 
women. 

Fairview of today keeps even pace with the oustide world ; 
is no primitive pioneer station in the woods, "lost to fame 
and memory dear." The annual shows attract great crowds 
of visitors from all over the State. The hospitality of the 
Peden is proverbial wherever the name is found, and those 
of old Fairview are not lacking in this spirit. 



CHAPTER IX. 

PEDEN— CHEISTIAN, PATRIOT, SOLDIER. 

It is the purpose of this chapter to bring into relief Peden 
characteristics ; and will include several sketches and inci- 
dents. 

As a fitting beginning two sketches of the island home of 
the traditional "Paidan" are copied from The Christian Ob- 
server and The Houston (Texas) Post. 

lona Cathedral, intimately associated with the early life 
and work of Presbyterianism in Scotland, form a part of the 
estate which for generations has been in the possession of the 
Argyll family. The present Duke, evidently contemplating 
the possibility of its alienation at some future day from Pres- 
byterian keeping, has conveyed the site and ruins of the old 
cathedral to certain trustees to hold for the Church of Scot- 
land. The cathedral is to be restored, and, in the event of 
Disestablishment, the Secretary for Scotland, the Lord Advo- 
cate and the Sheriff of Argyll are to determine what body the 
cathedral shall belong to. 

The announcement that the Duke of Argyll has conveyed 
the ruins of lona to a public trust in connection with the Es- 
tablished Church of Scotland is of more than passing interest, 
particularly as it is proposed to restore the venerable cathe- 
dral, which will thus, after the lapse of centuries, be used once 
more for public worship. lona is indissolubly associated 
with the name of St. Columba, who had there established his 
base of operations long before St. Augustine came to convert 
the men of Kent to the Christian religion. The Scottish 
saint, a man of splendid physique, was in his forty-second 
year when he drove Druids from their ancient stronghold 
of Icohnkill in 563 A. D. It is interesting to note that at the 
time of this historic religious invasion the foundations of 
modern jurisprudence were being laid by the Emperor Jus- 
tinian, and his great general, Belisarius. was at the zenith of 
his fame. St. Columba and his twelve disciples built a mon- 



I40 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

nastery, which was a place of pilgrimage not only for the 
Picts and Scots, but even for the men of Strath, Clyde, and 
Northumbria, and till the end of the eighth century lona was 
a veritable Scottish Mecca. In common with so many other 
great centers of religion it did not escape the ravages of the 
Northmen, who plundered and burnt it in 795, and again in 
802. On several subsequent occasions the monks suffered 
martyrdom, and it is recorded that in 986 the ruthless bar- 
barians paid a Christmas visit to the sacred island and slew 
the abbot and fifteen of his monks. St. Columba's monastery 
did not survive these devastations, but when John was King 
of England the cathedral of St. Mary was built, and survives 
to this day, though in ruins, with its choir and chapels, tran- 
septs, nave, and a central tower rising to a height of 75 feet, 
lona has a further claim to the respect of antiquarians as the 
burying place of no less than 48 Scottish and four Irish and 
eight Norse kings. As all the world knows. Dr. Johnson was 
much impressed by his visit to this part of the Hebrides, and 
he described it reverently as "That illustrious island which 
was once the luminary of the Caldonian religions, whence 
savage clans and roving barbarians derived the benefits of 
knowledge and the blessings of religion." 

This is followed by a sketch of the Prophet Peden, 1626- 
1686. 

ALEXANDER PEDEN— THE PROPHET. 

Charles I. succeeded his father, James VI. in 1625 and the 
year following Alexander Peden was born at Auchenloich in 
Sorn, Ayrshire, Scotland. He died in 1686, two years 
before the Revolution, and thus he lived through almost all 
the stormy time of Scotland's religious history, witnessing a 
good confession, and though hunted like a wild beast he 
escaped his persecutors and died at last in the house where 
he was born, on the Water of Ayr. 

Dodd calls him the "Prophet of the Covenant," and says 
that "Peden in an age fertile in singular men and when the 
circumstances of the times brought out their qualities in the 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 141 

strongest relief, surpassed all in what may be termed romance 
of character. His memory has been overlaid by the doating- 
ness of martyrology, by the very rankness and luxuriant 
foliage of tradition. Wonder tales crop and cluster, and 
twine all around him as the ivy does around some majestic, 
old tower. Love and awe, and primitive simplicity, working 
on an extraordinary subject, have well-nigh changed into a 
wizard this brave, wise, kindly old spirit, whose marvellous 
insight and intensity of feeUng and expression were all taken 
for sorcery." 

His father was a small proprietor, and it is believed he was 
the eldest son, for he is spoken of as having "a piece of heri- 
tage." He was intimate with the Boswells, of Auchenloch, 
an old and respected family in the neighborhood of his 
home. Nothing seems to be known of his early Hfe, or of 
his university career. He first comes into notice as school 
master, precentor and session clerk to Mr. John Guthrie, 
minister of Tarbolton. 

When about to enter the ministry a clamor was raised 
against him by a young woman, which was fully cleared up, 
proving him an innocent victim of a base plot. This circum- 
stance, however, seemed to have in some degree tinged his 
whole after life. 

A little before the Restoration he was ordained minister of 
New Luce, in Galloway, and for three years labored in this 
lovely spot, which the Luce watered as it wound by many a 
knoll, and clump of brush-wood, until lost in the sea ; while 
around towered dark precipitious hills — those hills of Gallo- 
way which Mrs. Stewart Montieth has so beautifully apostro- 
phizied in her "Lays of the Kirk and Covenant." 

What Peden's ministry was in this place, and how much he 
was beloved by his people we can have some idea of from 
their grief when, after three years, he was called to leave 
them and Hke Abraham of old, to go forth not knowing 
where he went. The reason of his ejectment from the place 
was his refusal to comply with the Act of Parliament, May, 
1662, which required all ministers who had been inducted 



142 THE PEDBNS OF AMERICA. 

since 1649 to receive presentation from their respective pat- 
rons, and collation from the Bishop of the diocese in which 
they resided before the 20th of September, that year, under 
the penalty of deprivation. That he and many others refused 
to submit to these terms may readily be believed ; recogniz- 
ing no right of the civil power to break asunder so sacred a 
tie as that which existed between a minister and his people, 
they were therefore in not haste to desert their charges, when 
in October the Lords of the Privy Council passed another 
Act "prohibiting and discharging all ministers, who have con- 
travened the foresaid act concerning the benefits and stipends 
to exercise any part of the functions of the mininsty at their 
respective churches in time coming, which are hereby de- 
clared vacant * * * * and command and charge the said 
ministers to remove themselves and their families out of their 
parishes, betwixt this and the first day of November next to 
come, and not to reside within the bounds of their respective 
parishes." 

In the face of this Peden and many others declining still 
to acknowledge the civil courts, forcible measures were taken 
for their ejection. On the 24th day of Febrauary, 1663, the 
Lords of the Privy Council ordered letters to be directed 
against him and twenty-five other ministers in Galloway, 
commanding them to remove themselves, wives and children 
and goods from their respective manses, and from the 
bounds of the Presbytery, where they now lived, before the 
20th day of March following; forbidding them to exercise 
any part of their ministerial functions, and also charging them 
to appear before the Council on the 24th day of March." 
This order Peden durst no longer refuse to recognize so he 
had to prepare to leave his beloved and attached flock. 
When he preached his farewell sermon we are told "this was 
a weeping day in that kirk," the greater part could not con- 
tain themselves. He many times requested them to be silent; 
but they sorrowed most of all when he told them that they 
should never see his face in that pulpit again. So unwilHng 
were minister and people to part that they continued 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 143 

together, he speaking to them and they listening, until com- 
pelled by darkness to stop, the night coming upon them." 
When descending from the pulpit he closed the door, and 
knocking three times upon it said, "I arrest thee in my Mas- 
ter's name, that none ever enter thee but such as come in by 
the door as I did," and it so happened that neither curate or 
indulged mininster ever entered that pulpit during the perse- 
cution which followed. The church was completely deserted 
and desolate until after the Revolution, when a Presbyterian 
minister opened it. It has been said that his old pulpit was 
used in the church-yard afterwards at tent preachings on 
communion seasons. Though he never preached again in the 
church, he afterwards occasionally visited his old parishion- 
ers, for says Wodrow, "they were taxed and quartered upon 
for receiving him into their houses," and on "Martinmas, 
1681, Claverhouse commisioned Sheriff of Galloway, brought 
two troops of horse on the said parish for baptizing of child- 
ren with Mr. Peden." 

In 1670 Peden passed his time sometimes in Scotland and 
sometimes in Ireland (whither his kin had been banished, 
1601), in which country he seems to have visited Ulster (of 
which Antrim was a part), and preached to great multitudes 
there, thereby giving offense to some of the ministers who 
were annoyed that an ousted Scotch minister should come 
amongst them, and open his mouth, which was closed in his 
own country; but there was no law (then) forbidding full 
liberty of worship in Ireland. Returning again to Scotland, 
he was apprehended June, 1672, by Major Cockburn, in the 
house of Hugh Ferguson, of Knockdow, in Carrick, accord- 
ingly they were both, landlord and guest, carried prisoners 
to Edinburg. Ferguson was fined a thousand merkes "for 
visit, harbour, and converse with him." The Council ordered 
fifty-four pounds sterling to be paid to the Major out of the 
fine ; and twenty-five pounds to be divided amongst the party 
who apprehended them. After examination, Peden was 
carried by a party of military to the prison of the Bass, to be 
delivered to the governor of the garrison there, who "is 



144 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

hereby ordered to keep him (Peden) a close prisoner until 
further orders." This Act was dated 26th June, 1673 

"Stone walls do not a prison make, 

Nor iron bars a cage, 

A spotless mind and innocent 

Calls that an hermitag-e." 

— Lovelace. 
The Bass Rock is an islet in the Firth of Forth, three miles 
and a half distant from North Berwick, and is about seven 
acres in extent. It resembles in form the base of a sugar 
loaf. Precipitous on all sides, the only landing place is a little 
shelf of rock over-looked by the ramparts, where cannon 
were formerly placed to defend the entrance of the Firth. 
However calm the weather a strong surf is always seething 
round the Bass, and it is necessary to cling hard to iron 
rings, and clamps in the rock when parties land lest their boat 
should be dashed to pieces. The steep and slippery landing 
place is only a species of fissure, or chasm, and leads to a 
plateau of naked red rocks, always covered with dead gannets 
and Norwegian rabbits in all stages of decay. This sea-rock 
"the storm defying Bass, the giant fragment of a former 
world," has forty fathoms of water all around it, and is the 
haunt of myriads of gannets, or solar geese, and sea-gulls, 
which wheel in the sunshine and whiten its cliflfs. The Bass 
Rock was purchased in 1671 by Lauderdale, in the name of 
the government, to become a state prison,and it was the last 
piece of British soil that surrendered to William of Orange. 
The castle of the Bass was never taken by storm, and it 
defied a blockade by sea and land for four years after the battle 
of Killiecrankie. In what was the soldier's garden there are 
still a few flowers, with a few pots herbs growing rank and 
wild ; and in summer the Rock is covered with Lavatera 
arbora, or the tree mallow of the Bass, a rare plant in Britian, 
which grows there in great luxuriance to the height of six 
and eight feet. 

When Alexander Peden was fifty-one years of age, we 
learn through the kind offices of the Governor, he was re- 



THE PEDBNS OF AMERICA. 145 

moved to the mainland; this was on the 9th day of October, 
1677. 

(Signed) J. M. Ainslee Miller. 

This sketch is closed with an incident showing the domestic 
side as well as prophetic nature of Alexander Peden. A 
prophecy literally fulfilled. 

During those stormy times when pious Scotchmen were 
hunted like deer by Claverhouse and his dragoons, because 
they would not submit to the prelacy forced upon their 
churches by English tyranny, there lived, near Ayr, a lass 
named Isabel Weir. She had a pretty face, winsome man- 
ners, a lively disposition, and a very superior, well cultivated 
mind. 

A young farmer, a widower, of fine character, much trusted 
by his neighbors, and greatly beloved tor his gentle ways by 
those who knew him best, often came to do business with 
Isabel's father. His name was John Brown, of Priesthill. Of 
course, he frequently saw the lass, talked with her, and, as 
was natural, loved her. She reciprocated his love. When he 
proposed to marry her, he very frankly said : 

"The times are troublous, Isabel, and I have a foreboding 
that I shall one day be called to seal the Church's testimony 
with my blood." 

This was, most assuredly, a very grave wooing, and a very 
unlikely method of winning a bride. But Isabei was no light- 
minded, frivolous girl. Like her lover, she was ready to 
suffer for old Scotland's religious freedom, and, instead of 
holding back her troth because of her wooer's ghastly fore- 
boding, she nobly replied : 

"If it should be so, John, through affliction and death I 
will be your comfort. The Lord has promised me grace, and 
he will give you glory." 

These were not the words of a sentimental girl eager to 
secure a handsome husband, but of a true woman with a 
heroic soul, who fondly loved the man desiring to make her 
his wife. 

A month or two later, in a secluded, romantic glen, Isabel 



t46 THE PEDEWS OF AMERICA. 

gave her hand to the young farmer of Priesthill. Not in a 
church, but at Nature's altar, hidden from the eyes of perse- 
cuting priests, their vows were pUghted and their hands 
joined by that distinguished Covenanter, Alexander Peden. 
A goodly company of godly people were there, of whom Mr. 
Peden said, addressing Isabel: 

"These are to be witnesses of your vows. They are all 
friends, and have come at the risk of their lives to hear God's 
work and to countenance his ordinance of marriage." 

At the close of the interesting service Peden took Isabel 
aside, and, looking into her face with paternal affection, said: 

"Isabel, you have got a good husband; value him highly. 
Keep linen for a winding-sheet beside you, for in a day when 
you least expect it thy master will be taken from thy head. 
In him the image of our Lord and Saviour is too visible to 
pass unnoticed by those who drive the chariot wheels of per- 
secution through the breadth and length of bleeding Scotland. 
But fear not ; thou shalt be comforted." 

A gloomy wedding benediction this ; but though it, no 
doubt, chastened her gladness, it did not chill her heart. She 
respected Mr. Peden ; knew, indeed, that he was esteemed a 
prophet ; nevertheless, she would not believe that one so 
good and gentle as her beloved could be persecuted by any 
one, not even by prelatists. 

In 1890 a new monument was reared to his memory instead 
of the single grave-stone, from which the following was 
copied by Mr. Ainslee Miller, and kindly furnished with his 
sketch : 

In Memory 

of 

Alexander Peden. 

A Native of Sorn. 

That faithful minister of Christ, who for his unflinching 
adherence to the Covenanted Reformation in Scotland, was 
expelled by tyrant rulers from his parish of New Luce; im- 
prisoned for years on the Bass Rock by his persecutors, and 



THifl PEDENS OF AMERICA. 147 

hunted for his life on the surrounding mountains and moors 
till his death on January 26, 1686, in the 60th year of his age, 
and here at last his dust reposes in peace awaiting the resur- 
rection of the just. 

"Such were the men these hills who trod, 
"Strong in the love and fear of God, 
"Defying through a long dark hour — 
"Alike the craft, and rage of Power." 

The inscription on the grave-stone is also furnished — 

Here Lies 

Mr. Alexander Peden, 

Faithful Minister of the Gospel 

At Glenluce. 

Who departed this mortal life the 26th day of 
January, 1686, and was raised after six weeks 
out of the grave, and buried here out of 

contempt. 

MEMENTO MORI. 

JUDGE SAMUEL C. PEDEN. 

In contrast to the preceding, and showing also the firm 
unyielding adherence to what they believe to be right in civil 
life, the character of Judge Samuel C. Peden stands out as 
boldly as did his predecessor, the "Prophet," for religious 
freedom. The Missouri Judge, while not a descendant of 
John Peden, shows remarkable similarity of character to 
many of them. He descends from Joseph Peden, also a brave 
soldier of the Revolution, and in all probabiUty one of the 
long lost brothers of the founder of the Southern house of 
Peden. The letter, and incidents which follow show the 
strong points in Peden character. 

The first clipping is from the Houston (Texas) Post, under 
the heading "Refuses to Accept Liberty On the Terms 
Offered by United States Judge :" 

Kansas City, Mo., December 2. — Judge Samuel C. Peden, 



148 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

of the St. Clair County Court, one of the three County Judges 
who have been compelled to serve most of their terms of 
office in jail because they have disobeyed the order of the 
Federal Courts to vote railroad bonds which involve St. Clair 
County in great expense, today refused to accept his liberty 
upon the terms of Judge Phillip's decision rendered in the 
Federal Court Thursday, and decided to remain in jail. 

The second is also from the same paper, of a later date: 

One of the most unique cases in the civilized world is the 
St. Clair county bond case, which a dispatch from Kansas 
City announces is about to be compromised. 

For years the Judges of St. Clair County, Missouri, have 
either been in jail for contempt of the Federal Court or fugi- 
tives from justice, holding court in the woods to avoid arrest. 

In 1868 the County of St. Clair issued $200,000 worth of 
bonds to build a railroad across the county. In spite of the 
fact that the railroad was not built, the Federal Court ren- 
dered a judgment against the county in favor of the bond- 
holders. The county officials refused to pay and the Federal 
Court committed the county judges to jail for contempt of 
court because they refused to order the county officials to 
levy the tax to pay the judgment. The debt, with principal 
and interest, now amounts to $1,500,000. For thirty-four 
years the county judges have patriotically refused to bank- 
rupt the county by ordering the levy of the tax. It has been 
known that election to the office of county judge meant im- 
prisonment or dodging arrest during the term of office. Yet 
men have never been wanting to serve their country in this 
arduous capacity, and St. Clair County has always had its 
judges, in jail or out of jail, resolutely standing between its 
people and the ruin threatened by the Federal Court. Of the 
three judges at the present time. Judge Thomas Nevitt is in 
jail at Maryville, where he has been a year, serving a sen- 
tence for contempt. Judge S. C. Peden is serving a similar 
sentence in Warrensburg jail. Judge Walker, it is reported, 
has lived in the brush since he was elected, and the United 
States deputies have not been able to capture him. 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 149 

This remarkable state of afifairs, which is humorous from 
one point of view and very serious from another, arises from 
our system of having Federal Courts besides State Courts. 
It is very questionable whether a Federal Court has the 
power to commit a State Judge for refusing to obey its man- 
date, and whether a Federal Court has the right to issue a 
mandate directed to a State Judge in his official capacity. It 
would seem as if the State Judge should be protected by the 
sovereignty of the State. Certainly when the constitution 
was adopted it was never contemplated that a situation like 
that in St. Clair county, Missouri, should ever arise. 

Although the St. Clair County case is about to be settled by 
compromise, the law upon the subject should be made plain 
either by authoritative judicial decision of by legislation, that 
such an anomalous condition may not occur again. 

The third is from the Atlanta (Ga.) Constitution : 

St. Paul, Minn, August 28, 1902. — The United States Court 
of Appeals, in an opinion by Judge Seaborn, today denied the 
application for writs of habeas corpus or other relief in the 
cases of Thomas D. Nevitt and Samuel C. Peden, Judges of 
the County Court of St. Clair Country, Missouri, and sus- 
tains the right of a Federal Judge to carry out the mandates 
of a judgment by him. 

This case, the like of which, it is said, has not come before 
the Courts since the early and unsettled days of the republic, 
dates back to a period shorty after the close of the civil war. 
St. Clair County, in aid of the construction of a railroad, 
issued a large amount of bonds and when these became due, 
the county sought to evade payment and to have the Courts 
invalidate them. 

Judgments against the county aggregating more than 
$200,000, however, were issued in the United States Court. 
The county fought on, adopting every legal device to defeat 
the enforcement of the judgment until about two years ago, 
when United States Judge Phillips, at the instance of the 
judgment creditors, issued a writ of mandamus directing the 
County Court to levy a tax for the partial payment of the 



I50 THE PEDENiS OF AMERICA. 

indebtedness. The judges refused to obey this mandate, 
holding that the bonds had been illegally issued. Then came 
the order of arrest and commitment for contempt of Court. 
The Judges evaded the Federal Court officers, who sought to 
serve the writs of commitment, hiding in the woods and other 
unknown places. Meanwhile the County Courts were not 
held, criminals went untried, civil cases could not be heard, 
the county roads and bridges fell into decay and other busi- 
ness commonly transacted by the County Court was wholly 
neglected. 

Recently, however, the marshals discovered the hiding 
places of the fugitive judges and arrested them. Their coun- 
sel petitioned the Court of Appeals for their release on bail 
and for an order staying proceedings until an application 
could be made to President Roosevelt for a pardon. 

In denying their application Judge Sanborn holds that a 
writ of habeas corpus cannot be made to perform the office 
of writ of error, as it is available only when a prisoner is ille- 
gally restrained by a Court without power to make an order 
for contempt. 

The following letter will explain itself: 

Maryville, Nodway, County, Mo., June ist, 1902. 
Mr. D. D. Peden, St., Houston, Texas. 

Dear Sir : I will say that I have been shifted around some, 
and may have forgotten to answer your other letter. I live 
in St. Clair County and have a wife and six children, four girls 
and two boys. Am fifty years old. Have been in jail thirteen 
months at Bethany and Maryville. My father's name was 
Joseph Peden ; he was born in Pennsylvania, and moved to 
Indiana, Clark County, but sold out in '68 and moved to 
Missouri. 

I have been in the Bond Fight since '70. I would like to 
see my county and people free, and that is why I am in jail. 

Yours truly, 
(Signed) Samuel C. Peden. 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 151 

DAVID MORTON. 

Among the strong, noble characters of a stern age, and 
of the race of Peden, there stands out in bold and beautiful 
reHef, like some statue in marble that of David Morton, the 
third son of James, or David Morton and Jane Peden. Born 
in Antrim. Ireland, in 1760, he was brought to America when 
a boy of eight or ten by his grandfather, John Peden, along 
with his mother and her other children, as his father died 
while they were very young. 

David Morton grew to man's estate under the guidance 
of his venerable grandfather, to whom he was peculiarly de- 
voted. He, though a mere lad, took part in the War for In- 
dependence, serving in the Fairforest, or Spartan regiment 
a short while, then under the partisan leaders, Marion, Sum- 
ter and Pickens, at Cowpens and numerous local battles of 
upper South Carolina. 

He was twice married, first to Penelope, a sister or daugh- 
ter of Hugh L. White, who lived only a few years and died 
childless. He then married Mary or MolHe Jamison, also of 
prominent Whig parentage. She also died leaving him in 
his old age, blind, helpless and alone, save for the devotion 
of som.e excellent slaves, who deserve the enconium of "Sem- 
per Fidelis !" After the death of John Peden, he came to 
Fairview township and settled the place where he plied his 
trade and spent his long, useful life among kith and kin. 

This old homestead is located on South Raeburn Creek, 
near its source. At the present time only the site of the old 
house remains, all traces of a once pretentious building are 
gone. The spring remains as he left it, but is disused. A 
forlorn apple tree, very decrepid, still stands in the old yard 
place. The once large plantation has been divided into sev- 
eral tracts and is owned by different parties, among them 
two brothers,James and John Putnam, lineal descendants of 
Thomas and Alexander, second and sixth sons of John Pe- 
den. There is a small tract donated to a negro church. Beth- 
lehem. 



152 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

Four of the former slaves still linger on the old home place, 
very old and poor. Their names are: Wilson, Alexander, 
Sallie and Jane. All bear the Morton name. Jane was house 
maid and her mistress chief assistant; Wilson was his mas- 
ter's boy, ministering to his wants in his blindness, caring 
carefully for him in his last illness, with faithful and unerring 
love, not uncommon among the well treated slaves of by- 
gone days. Wilson has a few mementoes of his idolized 
master and friend that he resolutely refuses to part with even 
for bread, among them an old arm chair which David Mor- 
ton made for his grandfather's comfort in his last days, meet- 
ing all overtures for its purchase with, "It was Mastah's chair. 
Misses died in it, and I can't sell it." 

David Morton's trade was that of carpenter and cabinet 
maker, and most of the quaint old three-cornered cupboards, 
tables, benches, cradles to rock their infancy, and colons to 
bury the dead of the Pedens for three generations were made 
by the grand old man. 

The history of the much coveted chair which is well pre] 
served is as follows : 

It was the first article made by David Morton in his shop 
in his new home. Thinking of his beloved grandfather, he 
made it and carried it across the country back to Chester, 
where he found John Peden very feeble. Abandoning every- 
thing else, gave his time and young manhood to nursing the 
aged saint to the end. From this chair he Hfted John Peden 
to his last sleep, and from it he also was Hfted by these slave 
friends to his own rest about fifty years later. 

His was a character of great generosity and nobility, as 
well as deep piety. His mental attainments were very su- 
perior, despite educational disadvantages of pioneer times. 
He made friends of books, of which he had many, enabled 
by his ample means to procure those luxuries. 

He was possessed of great physical strength and manly 
beauty, large and fair, with noble head and face, beaming 
blue eyes and a benevolent countenance. 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 153 

David Morton came to his end beloved and honored. The 
present building of Fairview church is one of his monuments, 
and the record placed on his tomb is so true and faithful that 
it is copied here as a fitting tribute to one grand character of 
the second generation. 

Sacred to the Momory of 
David Morton 

Who departed this life on the 25th day of September, 1848, 
in the 88th year of his age. 

He had been a Revolutionary soldier, and fought the bat- 
tles of his country. 

He was an elder in the church at this place, a worthy mem- 
ber of the session until the day of his death. 

He was always liberal in its support, and at death left a 
handsome estate to be divided between this church and 
foreign missions. 

He was a liberal solil and devised liberal things. 

"And now abideth Faith, Hope and Charity, these three; 
but the greatest of these three is Charity." i Cor. 13:13. 

DR. ALEXANDER FEDEX. 

Alexander David Peden, son of Alexander Peden, formerly 
a merchant of Wilmington, N. C, whose father was Mingo 
Peden merchant in Irvine Ayrshire, Scotland, whose father 
was Alexander Peden the "Prophet" whose grave is at 
MauchHne. (This is a mistake as far as Alexander the 
Prophet is concerned as he was unmarried and a sketch of 
him is in Capt. D. D. Peden's admirable sketch of the family 
at the Fairview reunion. Doubtless this Alexander Peden 
was a nephew of the Prophet.) 

Alexander David Peden was born in Wilmington, but on 
the death of his mother was sent back to Scotland a small 
boy to the care of his grandfather and maiden aunt living in 
Edinburg. He was educated at Irvine, Ayreshire, graduating 
at Glasgow, as a physician, then went to sea out of London 
as surgeon's mate in employ of East Indian Company for 



154 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

twelve years, then for eight years roamed around the world. 
His daring to save the lives of a crew of American sailors 
"dubbed" him Com'd Perry, a name that clung to him on 
land and sea. He first settled in New Orleans where he 
married then moved to Galveston, Texas, but about that time 
the civil war between the states broke out. Two of his sons 
went into the Confederate service. "My father being an old 
man seeing things taken and destroyed, went to Mexico 
where he remained until the war ended." (Letter of Louis 
Peden.) When he went to the ill-fated town of Indianalo, 
where, during a cyclone and deluge (1875?) his wife and 
several children were drowned ; also his ranch, houses, 
horses and cattle were swept away, all his earthly posses- 
sions, leaving him utterly without property, at the age of 
seventy-five. "My father died in 1881 — gone but not for- 
got. He was always a friend to the weak and helpless. Al- 
though he was one of the best physicians and surgeons in 
this country he did not make much money out of his prac- 
tice for he refused to take money from the poor for his ser- 
vices. Therefore he never accumulated a vast fortune, as he 
could have done if he desired. While my father was not a 
rich man he was in good circumstances up to the great Indi- 
anola disaster, in which everything he possessed w^as de- 
stroyed. Afterwards (this terrible calamity) father gave up 
the practice of medicine ; this world had no more attraction 
for him after the loss of his dear wife. Bowed down with 
grief, broken-hearted, he lived on very quietly until God called 
him home, where he claims his final reward in heaven with 
mother. (Extract from letter of his son, Louis Peden, with 
his permission, also the following letter from the pen of Alex- 
ander D. Peden, which brings out this beautiful character, a 
noble son of the house of Peden, the letter was never sent, 
but kindly loaned the writer for a copy here.) 

"Excuse the freedom of an unknown stranger, one long 
lost to memory, and no doubt considered numbered among 
the dead. The Lord in His divine providence spared my life 



THE PEDEj^S of AMERICA. 155 

through many adversities by land and sea. Encountering 
gales of wind, cyclones, white squalls, and Borean blasts, 
with a restless sea and angry billows tossing our frail barques 
like chaflf before the wind, leaving ourselves to the care of 
and mercy of an all-seeing eye. 

"Now old age has crept upon me, seventy-five years old, 
feeble and worn-out, when anchored on a treacherous shore. 
God in His all-wise providence sent a cyclone with a deluge 
flood to sweep our ill-fated city from the face of the earth, 
(drowning) my wife and children and sweeping my ranch, 
houses, horses and cattle up into the prairies for the course 
of six miles. All I possessed in the world was on this ranch ; 
myself being called away from home to serve on the jury of 
my country. If at home should not have troubled you with 
this epistle ; should have died with and for my family being too 
much of a sea-dog to have lost all. But now left behind to 
mourn and bow to adversity. People were hurried from 
sleep into eternity and up where rolls the boundless ocean of 
the stars. "Forever freed and unrestrained. Life's weary toil, 
forever o'er; which immortality is gained, "and pain and 
struggles are no more ;" and all the joys that dying brings ; 
submitting our fate to the Supreme Ruler of the universe, 
and short space of time allotted for man to live, deprived of 
youth to labor it seems hard to become a pauper; one sprung 
from the ancient family of Pedens in Scotia's isle. Having 
no friends here it struck me to address the sympathy of my 
kinsman to reheve me of the distress I am now suffering. If 
any doubt should arise in your mind that I am not the "Simon 
pure" A. D. Peden I refer you to your fellow townsman, Mr. 
Kidder, who had the pleasure of my company in Bagdad, 
Mexico, then on a voyage to Tisal, Yucatan, who can vouch 
for my credulity. (This kinsman was a half-brother, William 
or James Peden, or both who went from Wilmington, N. C, 
to Virginia, and to Kentucky and Illinois ; of these the writer 
has a trace, they were really a later emigration of the same 
line.) I am Alexander David Peden, son of Alexander, de- 



156 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

ceased, formerly merchant in Wilmington, N. C. My father's 
father was Mingo Peden, merchant in Irvine, Ayreshire, 
Scotland, where I was educated and graduated as a physician 
in Glasgow ; then went out to sea out of London as surgeon's 
mate in East India Company for twelve years. Then for 
eight years roamed the world. That is my pedigree. Al- 
though American seamen are not entitled to their Christian 
names, being obliged to give shipping papers of their char- 
acters before entering upon another voyage ; and all seamen 
avoid the law by false papers on every ship. My daring to 
save the life of a ship's crew of America they "dubbed" me 
Commodore Perry, a name which has hung to me on land 
and sea. If I was to write my Hfe it would become volumes 
so I shall close, hoping your sympathy will be towards me. 

(He here mentions a number of Pedens, James Peden, at 
Jonesborough, Tenn., who belonged to the i6th Alabama 
Regiment, and Charles Peden, at Atlanta, Ga., John and 
Thomas Peden, to ordinance train ; this was during the civil 
war and they were with his son Louis, and expresses the 
wonder where and who they all were and where they came 
from.) "Although suffering now from want I will not com- 
mit suicide nor blast my good name, but will wander on until 
I can wander no more, so excuse a wanderer. Hoping to 
hear from you, I am, dear friends, 

Alexander D. Peden. 

(He seems trying to prove beyond doubt his identity, after 
long years of absence, to the members of his father's family, 
and the writer, as before stated, has letters from these 
Pedens, or as they spell the name Padon. One family lives 
in Kentucky (Carrsville), and copy here an extract from 
a letter by a devoted young doctor, who laid his young life 
down last year in Blackwell, O. T., W. H. Padon, M. D. 
"Our ancestry, grandfather's and father's families were all 
missionary Baptist, and have always been noted for their 
strict piety and great interest in Christianity." 




REV. MITCHELL PEDEN. 



THE PEDENS OF A^LERICA. 157 

REV. MITCHELL PEDEN. 

Mitchell Peden was born in Spartanburg District, S. C, 
August 24, 1809. 

He united with the church at Nazareth (Presbyterian), at 
the age of nineteen years. He had been a member of the 
Sabbath school for twelve years in Mr. Dickson's class. He 
was licensed to preach the Gospel by the Presbytery of Har- 
mony in April, 1838, at the age of twenty-nine. The first 
year after being licensed he preached one hundred and six 
sermons, at thirty-three different places situated in Spartan- 
burg, Greenville and Sumter Districts (counties), over two 
hundred miles distance. 

He married Eliza Caldwell November 13, 1838, and settled 
at a place named Barrondale, near Longtown. He was or- 
dained to the full work of the ministry at Mt. Olivet church, 
October, 1839, and served Aimwell and Mill Creek churches 
as pastor until 1844, when he removed to Pontotoc County, 
Miss., with a large following of kith and kin. Settled at 
Houston, Miss., in 1845, being elected principal of the Male 
Academy at that place. 

In 1846 he was bereft of his wife and three children of 
scarlet fever. In 1847 he moved to Lowndes County, Miss., 
and took pastoral charge of Bethel and Mt. Zion churches. 
In 1847 (November 16) he married Mrs. Mary P. Ervine. In 
1855 he removed to Winston County, Miss., and took charge 
of Bethsalem and Lebanon churches, where he continued to 
faithfully discharge his duties until God in His providence saw 
best to paralyze his physical powers in 1865. Although ad- 
vised by his physicians to cease preaching, he would go to 
church and read his sermons, sitting in a chair, like John of 
old. He was very punctual in filling his appointments ; there 
were very few meetings of Presbytery or Synod in which his 
seat was vacant. He was a member of the General Assembly 
a number of times, and was present at that notable meeting 
which saw the division of the Presbyterian Church North 
and South. 



158 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

Mitchell Peden, like his race, was remarkably conscientious 
and faithful in his adherence to the principles and constitu- 
tion of the Presbyterian church. In character he was kind, 
humble, fraternal in his feelings and intercourse with his 
brethren; zealous and affectionate in his manner of preach- 
ing and assiduous in his efforts to win souls for Christ, in 
which he was wonderfully blest. 

He died August 31, 1868, of a final stroke of paralysis. A 
ripened sheaf of golden grain, garnered, and granted a place 
in the Master's Harvest Home. 

ALEXANDER WILSON PEDEN. 
(By his son, Hugh L. Peden.) 

Alexander Wilson Peden was born November 9, 1809; 
died February 8, 1868. He was a very pious man, one who 
was highly respected by the entire community. He was 
County Commissioner for the term of twenty-seven years, 
and at the time of his death Treasurer of the Board for 
Greenville County, S. C. He was bitterly opposed to seces- 
sion though he took an active part in the Civil War did all he 
could for the country ; gave it three sons and sent several 
negroes to work on the breast-works at Charleston. Was 
Commissioner of the Poor during this trying period and often 
said it was hard to please all who applied for assistance or 
pensions. (Extract from records of Fairview church, Septem- 
ber 2, 1849.) "The Rev. E. T. Buist preached a sermon on the 
institution and qualifications of the eldership, and at the close 
of the sermon proceeded to the ordination of the elders elect, 
to wit : Austin Williams, John M. Harrison, James E. Savage 
and Alexander W. Peden, after the constitutional questions 
being proposed to the candidates and also to the congrega- 
tion and they both had answered in the affirmative. Rev. Buist 
then proceeded to set apart by prayer the Elders elect to the 
office of Ruling Elders in this church." 

He was a son of White Peden and Margaret Peden, grand- 
son of Thomas Peden on the father's side, and of Alexander 




REV. ANDREW G. PEDEN. 



THE PEBENS OF AMEKICA. 159 

Peden on his mother's. Therefore springing from the 
Houses of Thomas and Alexander, second and sixth sons of 
John the father and founder. 

JOHN M. FEDEX. 
(By his son Jas. B. Peden.) 

I feel I must tell you of my father, but I know very little 
of the Pedens. 

My father was left an orphan at the age of nine years. My 
grandfather, James Peden emigrated from Fairview, S. C, in 
1824; died in this county; his wife followed very soon, both 
within five years of their arrival in ^Mississippi, consequently 
my father was left without educational advantages, and but 
little family history. He had three sisters and two brothers, 
Samuel and Frank. 

Father was born in South Carolina September 14, 1819; 
died September 9, 1896. Served through the Civil War as a 
lieutenant in the 2nd Mississippi state troops, a brave and 
daring soldier. 

In religious belief he was a Missionary' Baptist. Held the 
office of deacon most of his life. He served his church faith- 
fully, loved it dearly, and contributed freely to its needs, but 
all good men were his brethren. He lived upon, moved and 
acted on that broad plane that all Christians were of one fam- 
ily, regardless of creeds. He was also a Master ^Slason ; was 
buried with Masonic honors. 

He lived to just that period of life he so coveted, to see all 
his children grown up and educated to the very best extent 
he was able to give. 

KEY. ANDREW G. FEDEX. 
(A Memorial — By Rev. Jas. Stacey, D. D.) 

There is no death, the stars go down. 
To rise upon some fairer shore, 
1 And bright in heaven's jeweled crown, 

They shine forever more. — 



i6o THE PEDBNS OF AMERICA. 

Rev. Andrew Gilliland Peden was born near Fairview 
church, Greenville County, S. C, October 28, 181 1, and died 
at his home in Pike County, Ga., on Sabbath morning, Janu- 
ary 19, 1896. 

He was a son of David Peden and Margaret Hughes, his 
father, David Peden, being the youngest of ten children who, 
with their parents, John Peden and Margaret McDill, came 
to Spartanburg County, (then Spartan District), S. C, about 
the year 1768- 1770, with a colony from Ulster, in the north 
of Ireland, from County Antrim. He (Rev. Andrew G. Pe- 
den) was the twelfth child of his father, and the second of 
his mother, she being the second wife ; her predecessor leav- 
ing ten children. Out of this large family only one sister, 
Mrs. Eleanor G. Dunbar, now remains, she being his only 
own sister, and still resides in the old Carolina home. Mr. 
David Hamilton Peden, for years an efificient elder in the 
Griffin, Ga., church, and who died a few years ago being his 
youngest brother. 

When about seventeen years af age Rev. Andrew G. 
Peden made a profession of faith in Christ. Soon after he 
entered the school of Dr. J. L. Kennedy in Spartanburg 
County, where he remained for three years, he then entered 
the Theological Seminary at Columbia, S. C, graduated in 
1834, with the second class sent out from those venerated 
halls, and at the time of his death was the oldest surviving 
graduate of that institution. 

He was licensed to preach November 28, 1834, by Har- 
mony Presbytery, in company with Dr. R. b. Gladney, the 
samted J. Henley Thornwell, and a number of names equally 
bright in the Southern Presbyterian Church. His first field 
was Indiantown church, to which he was called in January, 
1835; on April 21, 1835, he was ordained and installed pastor 
of said church by the aforesaid Presbytery, where he re- 
mained until April 4, 1839, when this pastorate was regret- 
fully dissolved, and he became pastor of the neighboring 
church of Williamsburgh or Kingstree, which he supplied 
twelve years, until towards the close of 1847, when he re- 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. i6i 

moved to Pike County, Ga., where he spent the remainder of 
his hfe, becoming the founder and pastor of Friendship 
church in April, 1848. He preached also at Greenville, Ga., 
for two years, 1854-1856, and at other places as the opportu- 
nity offered until the infirmities of years and failing sight laid 
him aside from the active duties of the ministry- 

Rev. A. G. Peden was a man of well rounded character. Of 
fine physique, of handsome, pleasant countenance, in which 
could be seen depicted gentleness, coupled with great 
strength of character. He was a man of sympathy and 
neighborly feelings, kind, generous to a fault, of unbounded 
hospitality ; a man of honor, unswerving in his devotion to 
principle, true as steel to his word, entirely free from double- 
dealing, with fine judgment, practical business sense, manag- 
ing his own affairs with prudence and discretion; sound in his 
theological views, solid and practical in his preaching; a good 
presbyter and a man whose judgment might be safely trusted 
in all questions of Church and State. It is not a cause for 
wonder that such a man should enjoy as he did the confidence 
and esteem, of the entire community. As evidence of this 
confidence reposed in him, during and just after the Civil 
War, without any solicitation on his part, his neighbors and 
friends and fellow citizens nominated and elected him to rep- 
resent them in the representative hall of the State of Georgia. 

Though afflicted for several years with great physical 
weakness, and for sometime before his death with total blind- 
ness, yet he unmurmuringly submitted to the chastening 
hand of God, his Heavenly Father, and was frequently heard 
to speak of his unshaken trust in Him, and love to his fellow- 
men. 

On his eighty-fourth birthday, a few months before his 
death, he asked his wife to send for a neighbor to come and 
pray with him. On being told that it was nearly midnight 
he said: "Hold me up on my knees, then." This was done, 
and there in the solemn stillness of that dark hour, upon his 
feeble, bended knees he poured out his soul in earnest prayer 
and supplication unto God. 



i62 THE PEDBNS OF AMERICA. 

After a lingering illness of three months this loved saint 
passed quietly away without struggle or groan, early on Sab- 
bath morning, January 19, 1896, entering into his eternal rest. 

"As fades the summer cloud away 

Or sinks the gale when storms are o'er." 

His funeral services were held at Friendship church, where 
he had so long ministered in sacred things. They were con- 
ducted by his co-pastor and successor. Rev. R. N. Abrahams, 
the address being made by Rev. W. G. Woodbridge, of the 
Grifhn, Ga., church, from Psalm 46:10. "Be still and know 
that I am God." 

Rev. Andrew G. Peden was thrice married. His first wife 
was Miss Margaret Dantzler, of that union two of the five 
children survive, Capt. D. D. Peden, of Houston, Texas, and 
Mrs. J. Russell Tolbert, of Clarksville, Arkansas. His second 
wife was Miss Mary I. Britt, who lived but a few years and 
left no children. The devoted wife who remains was Miss 
Margaret C. Davis. Two daughters of the four children of 
this marriage survive, Mrs. J. W. Sullivan, Houston, Texas ; 
Mrs. T. C. Sullivan, Pedenville, Ga. 

This sketch is adapted from the Memorial prepared for At- 
lanta Presbytery at Riverdale, October 10, 1896, by his life- 
long personal friend, Rev. James Stacey, D. D. 

We leave him to rest, in hope of a joyful resurrection, be- 
neath the somber shadows of the soughing Georgia pines, 
behind the pulpit he filled so long and so well, knowing that 
when the Lord descends we shall greet the quiet saint in his 
spiritual beauty, clad in the vigor of immortal youth, along 
with that youthful Andrew Peden, martyr, over whose bright 
curls closed the dark waters of Loch Mary, in Scotland, hun- 
dreds of years ago. 

CAPTAIN D. D. PEDEN. 

The parents of Capt. D. D. Peden were Rev. Andrew G. 
and Margaret Peden (nee Dantzler). He was born Novem- 
ber 2nd, 1835, at the home of his grandparents, David and 




CAPT. D. D. PEDEN. 



THE PEDEINS OF AMERICA. ' 163 

Elizabeth (nee Miller) Dantzler, in Spartanburg County, S. 
C. His father, Andrew G., was the twelfth child of David 
Peden, who was the youngest of the ten children of the vene- 
rable John and Margaret Peden, the founder of the South 
CaroHna Pedens. His maternal grandfather, David Dantzler, 
was the son of Jacob, who, in turn, was the son of Harry 
Dantzler, who came from Germany prior to the Revolution- 
ary war and settled in what is now Orangeburg County, S. C, 
many of whose descendants are still honored citizens of that 
section of the State. 

His grandmother Dantzler, was the daughter of Michael 
and Nancy Miller, the latter was the daughter of Alexander 
Vernon and his wife, Margaret, nee Chesney. The descend- 
ants of Michael and EHzabeth Miller were quite numerous, 
and through this family Capt. Peden is related to very many 
of the best people in Spartanburg County, and other sections 
of the State and Western States. 

Until about 12 or 13 years of age, he resided in Williams- 
burg County, where his father was pastor successively of the 
Indiantown and Williamsburg Presbyterian churches, the 
latter located near the village of Kingstree, the county seat of 
said county. His mother, his sister, Mary Crawford, and his 
brother, Anderson Vernon, are buried in the grave yard of 
this venerable church. 

In the winter of 1848, his father (having married the second 
time), removed to Georgia, settUng in Pike County. In the 
course of a few years he was sent to the "High School" at La 
Grange, Ga. About the years 1855 or 1856 he entered the 
"Georgia MiUtary Institute" located at Marietta. He re- 
mained in this institute about two years. Being quite fond of 
the military feature of this institution, he became a good tac- 
tician. About the year 1857, his father purchased a planta- 
tion in Calhoun County, in the southwestern part of the State 
and he (D. D. Peden) was in charge of this farm when the 
Civil War between the States was declared, in 1861. He was 
among the first volunteers to enlist in his county. On ac- 
count of his previous military training, he was soon put to 



164 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

work drilling the volunteers. At the organization of the 
"Calhoun Rifles," which was the first company to leave the 
county, many of his friends urged him to become a candidate 
for the captaincy. This he positively declined to do, saying, 
he could not think of commanding men, many of whom were 
by a number of years his seniors in age. He was, however, 
unanimously elected first lieutenant, which position he ac- 
cepted. Soon after the organization of the company, he was 
detailed to go to Milledgeville, the then State Capital of 
Georgia. Arriving at Milledgeville, he found that Gov. Jos. 
E. Brown and staff had removed their headquarters to At- 
lanta. He proceeded to Atlanta and there tendered to the 
governor the services of the company. He was informed that 
the company would be listed, but would have to wait its regu- 
lar "turn" to be mustered into the service and be organized 
into a regiment. 

The prospect of delay and inaction was quite a disappoint- 
ment. He returned home and reported results to the com- 
pany. As many of the men had given up positions, some who 
were farmers having sold orotherwise disposed of their crops, 
and were consequently having to bear their own expenses, it 
was a sore disappointment to the men. Many of them threat- 
ened to leave us and join other organizations that had been 
previously mustered into service. About this time an oppor- 
tunity presented itself which enabled them to make a direct 
tender of their services to the Cofederate Government at 
Richmond. The regiment was organized and mustered into 
service there and was first known as the Third (3) Indepen- 
dent Georgia Regiment. Later it was known as the 12th 
Regiment Georgia Volunteers 

The first regimental officers were, Colonel, Edward John- 
son; Lieutenant Colonel, Z. T. Conner; Major, Smead; 

Adjutant, Edward Willlis. The companies were. A., from 
Sumter County, Willis A. Hawkins, captain; B., from Jones 

County, Pitts, captain ; C, from Macon County, 

Carson, captain ; D., from Calhoun County, W. L. Furlow, 




E. A. Pedex. 




D. D. Pedex, Jr. 




Allen V. Peden. 




Edward D. Peden. 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 165 

captain, D. D. Peden, 1st lieut. ; E., from Muscogee County, 

Scott, captain; F., from Dooley County, 

Brown, captain; G., from Putnam County, Davis, 

captain; H., from Bibb County, Rodgers, captain; J., 

from Lowndes County, Patterson, captain (?); K., 

from Marion County, Mark A. Blanford, captain. 

Soon after organization was perfected, the regiment was 
ordered to Staunton, Va., by rail, thence to West Virginia on 
foot, over the Staunton and Parkersburg pikes to re-inforce 
General Garnett. They were too late, however, General 
Garnett was killed and his troops retreated. For several 
months the regiment was encamped on Greenbrier river, be- 
tween Allegheny and Cheat Mountains. Later they moved 
back and went into winter quarters on top of the Allegheny 
Mountain, one among the coldest spots this side of the north 
pole. This was the winter of 1861. The following spring 
they were started in the direction of Harper's Ferry. When 
the army reached McDowell, they were engaged in battle 
with the enemy, our troops being under cornmand of General 
'Stonewall" Jackson. In Dr. Dabney's life of General Jack- 
son special mention is made of the gallantry of the 12th Geor- 
gia Regiment. The losses to the regiment were very heavy. 
Col. Ed. Johnson, afterwards promoted to Brigadier, and 
later to Major General, was severely wounded. Company 
D's losses were heavy, both in ofHcers and men. Captain 
Wm. L. Furlow, the company's first captain, and junior 2nd 
Heutenant, J. T.Woodward, were both killed in this engage- 
ment. 

First lieutenant, D. D. Peden, then became captain and 
commanded the company until just before the Gettysburg 
campaign opened in the spring of 1863. Just prior to the 
opening of this campaign, he was assigned to duty on the 
staff of Major General R. E. Rodes as Inspector General of 
the Division. The appointment was quite a surprise to him 
as it was unexpected and unsoHcited on his part, but very 
highly appreciated. The 12th Georgia Regiment was under 



i66 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

General "Stonewall" Jackson in all of his brilliant battles and 
record breaking marches. Captain Peden was fortunate in 
never having been captured by the enemy. He was severely 
wounded, however, in the very last of the seven days battles 
around Richmond, and known as the battle of "Malvern 
Hill." His Division made the last charge that was made on 
General McClellan's stronghold on the above mentioned 
Malvern Hill. Captain Peden was leading his company at 
"double quick" when one of the enemy's shells exploded in 
front of him, completely destroymg his right eye, besides 
lacerating his face and hands in a number of places. In a 
few minutes after he was wounded, it now being nearly dark, 
the seven days battles were ended. The friends of Captain 
Peden had small hope of his recovery, as it was in July, the 
weather very warm, and to make matters worse, erysipelas 
set in, which greatly aggravated the danger, besides adding 
additional pain to his suffering. 

In about three or four months, however, he was sufficiently 
recovered to return to his command, which he rejoined at 
Bunker Hill, Va., soon after the battle of Sharpsburg, in 
Maryland, had been fought. Against the advice of a num- 
ber of his friends, he resumed command of his company, and 
was with them in the battles of Fredericksburg and Chance- 
lorsville. It was not long after the latter engagement when 
he was assigned to duty as Inspector General on Major Gen- 
eral R. E. Rodes' staflF. This position he held for quite a 
while, embracing the Pennsylvania campaign, including, of 
course, the battle of Gettysburg. General Rodes' Division 
was the advance guard of the famous 2nd Army Corps 
("Stonewall" Jackson's) Army of North Virginia, and was 
the first of the Confederate Army to enter the town of Get- 
tysburg. General Rodes' Division also acted as rear guard 
to the "Stonewall" Jackson Corps on the retreat from Get- 
tysburg back in to Virginia. Some months afterwards, his 
health having been completely broken down, with the advice 
of both General Rodes and his chief surgeon. Dr. Mitchell, 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 167 

he reluctantly resigned the position of Inspector General and 
was later assigned to Post duty in his adopted State of Geor- 
gia. His headquarters were first at Grififin, near his father's 
home. Later on he was transferred to Savannah. The cli- 
mate and water disagreeing with him he took a severe re- 
lapse, and by a competent board of surgeons he was placed 
on the retired Hst, a short while before General Sherman's 
famous march through Georgia, and on to Savannah. 

He was in Calhoun County, Georgia, when the war closed, 
and in May, 1865, was married to Miss Fannie D. Plow- 
den, a native of Sumter County, S. C. For about ten years 
after the war he was engaged in farming in Calhoun and Pike 
Counties, but on account of the difficulty of securing reliable 
labor for his farm he gave it up and m'oved to Griffin, where 
he successfully engaged in the cotton warehouse and fer- 
tilizer business. Later he was elected cashier of the Griffin 
Banking Company. Later still, at the organization of the 
Merchants and Planters Bank(in the same town), which he 
was largely instrumental in organizing, he was elected its 
first cashier. 

His only two sons, Edward A. and D. D. Peden, Jr., mean- 
time having moved to Houston, Texas, where they were 
engaged in business, Captain Peden and wife, in order that 
the little family could all be together, decided to move to 
Texas, which they did in 1891. 

He and his two sons, under the firm name of Peden & Co., 
are successfully engaged in the iron business. They have 
four travelling salesmen who cover the greater part of 
Texas, reaching up in to the Indian Territory and into the 
southwestern portion of Louisiana. In their office and ware- 
house they employ on an average about fifteen men. 

It goes without saying that he and family are all Presby- 
rerians ; he is an Elder of the First Presbyterian church, 
Houston, while his eldest son, Edward A., is a Deacon in the 
same church. 



l68 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 



IMES. J. E. TOLBEET. 



Mrs. Elizabeth Miller Tolbert, wife of J. R. Tolbert, was 
the daughter of Rev. A. G. Peclen and his wife Margaret E,. 
Dantzler. She was born in South Carolina in 1838. After 
the death of her mother, at Kingstree, S. C, her father and 
family removed to Pike County, Georgia, about the year 
1848. She graduated at the Synodical Female College, Grif- 
fin, Ga., in 1856. 

In i860 she married Mr. J. R. Tolbert, and was the mother 
of nine children, six of whom survive her. 

On her father's side she was descended from John and 
Margaret Peden, founders of the Peden family in the South. 
On her mother's side she was descended from Alexander 
Vernon and his wife, Margaret Chesney, and is, therefore, 
related to many of the best people in South Carolina, 
specially in Spartanburg County. 

Her only remaining brother is Capt. D. D. Peden, of Hous- 
ton, Texas. 

A good woman has gone to her reward was the unanimous 
expression used at her death, which occurred December 15, 
1901. Her husband says truthfully: "Faith, love, charity, un- 
selfishness and all the Christian virtues were highly person- 
ified in her daily walk and conduct. Indeed, her whole life 
was a striking illustration of the precepts and examples 
taught and practiced by Jesus when upon the earth. The 
high, the low, the rich and the poor were all regarded alike, 
and that great reHgious injunction, 'Love thy neighbor as 
thyself,' was exemplified through her whole life in a remark- 
able degree." 

Let all, then, especially relatives and friends, strive to em- 
ulate her meek, gentle spirit, with the full assurance that if 
we live as we should we will meet her again in the "sweet by 
and bye." 

Let us, as much as possible, emulate her faith, patience and 
perseverance, feeling and knowing as she did, that 

"Heaven is not reached at a single bound : 
But we build the ladder, by which we rise. 
From the lowly earth to the vaulted skies. 
And we mount to its summit round by round." 




Mrs. E. M. Tolbert. 





John S. pAnEN. 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 169 

JOHN SANFORD PADEN. 

"This son of the house of Peden has the honor of being 
fifth in line of descent, of the name John, was born in Cobb 
County, Georgia, February 11, 1842. Was son of John T. and 
Margaret (Foster) Paden. Was reared in Roswell, Ga. At 
the outbreak of the Civil War he entered at once the Con- 
federate service, with company H, Seventh Georgia Infantry. 
Was in the first battle of Bull-Run, and in all the battles in 
and around Richmond, Va., and was with General Long- 
street at Chickamauga, Tenn. Surrendered with Gen. R. E. 
Lee's army at Appomattoz, Va. 

"In 1867 he located at the new town of Gadsden, Ala., 
where he was very successful in business. Very active and 
influential in developing the resources of that now famous 
region, and becoming a familiar figure in the state history of 
Alabama. In 1874 (February 5th) he was married to Miss 
Anna HolHngsworth, who, with five children, survive him. 
His death took place on November 21, 1896." 

A true Peden, useful citizen, faithful Christian, a brave 
soldier, a loyal son of the South, a model husband and 
father. 

From an extract sent by his devoted wife. 

(Signed) Anna D. Peden. 

This letter from Rev. W. M. Paden will explain itself : 

Salt Lake City, March 22, 1899. 
D. D. Peden, Esq. : 

Dear Sir: Your letter interests me very much, for I have 
heard a number of times concerning the Pedens of the South. 
At one time I had some correspondence with one by that 
name in North Carolina. I then concluded that my grand- 
father's relationship with the Southern family was not very 
close, and yet I do not think that there is any doubt but that 
the Pennsylvania family and the Carolina family have the 
same origin. 

My grandfather came from the north of Ireland towards 
the end of the last century and settled in Pennsylvania. His 



I70 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

name was William. His father's name was John. I am 
almost certain that none of my grandfather's descendants 
moved South, although I am not positive, not having traced 
the family very thoroughly. As seems to be the case with the 
Southern family my great grandfather's family were Presby- 
terians, and there are some five or six in the Presbyterian 
ministry, five or six Padens I mean. I do not know very 
much about the other branches of the family. 

While my grandfather and great-grandfather spelled their 
name Peden, my father and all the grandchildren for perhaps 
the last forty years, have spelled their name Paden, it having 
been pronounced that way by the people. 

I am sending the pamphlets to an old uncle of mine who 
knows more about our ancestry than any other man living, 
and I think it altogether likely that it will not be difificult to 
establish some remote relationship. The families seem to 
have had very much the same type of history and to be the 
same type of people. 

W. M. Paden. 

COL. MILTON PEDEN. 

The writer of the following account of part of the Northern 
family of Peden, Col. Milton Peden, was a brave, daring 
soldier during the recent war bteween the States, serving as 
Colonel of the 147th Indiana Regiment during the whole 
time; retiring to private life at the close of the civil war. He 
is now a hale, hearty old man of four score and is, in connec- 
tion with Capt. D. D. Peden of the Southern family, planning 
a reunion of the entire Peden race as soon as practicable, at 
some central place: 

"The following is something of the history of our branch 
of the Peden family as I obtained it from my old uncle, Daniel 
L. H. Peden, who died in 1873. I visited him some time prior 
to his death, at which time he gave me his best recollection of 
our family genealogy, to wit : 

"Near the close of sixteenth century a Peden (given name 
not remembered), went from Glasgow, Scotland, to London 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 171 

as chief baker to royal family. The baker had a son, Joseph, 
who went to the north of Ireland, and his son, Samuel Peden, 
came to America about the year 1750, and settled in York 
County, Penna., where he married a Miss Potter, and they 
had born to them six children as follows : Obadiah Peden, 
Samuel Peden, Lydia Peden, Joseph Peden (my grandfather), 
Isaac Peden and Alexander Peden. Joseph Peden married 
Miss Rebecca Driver, of York County, Penna., an own cousin 
of Patrick Henry of Revolutionary fame. To them was born 
the following children, to wit : Margaret Peden, James Peden 
(my father), Jesse Peden, Elizabeth Peden, Joseph Peden, 
Daniel T.H. Peden, David Peden, Isaiah Peden, Samuel Peden 
and Abner Peden. The two eldest were born in York County 
and the others in Washington County, Penna. Grandfather 
Peden was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and he being a 
gunsmith by trade was detailed to make guns for the army in 
the field. Grandfather died in Washington County, Penna., 
aged 94 years, and his father, Obadiah Peden, died in York 
County at the age of 100 years. These have all passed over 
to the great beyond long years ago. This ends Uncle Dan- 
iel's story. 

"James Peden (my father), married Miss Margaret Love, 
of Sistersville, West Virginia. To them were born ten child- 
ren, as follows : Elizabeth Peden, Rebecca Peden, James 
Peden, Joseph Peden, Jane L. Peden, David Peden Milton 
Peden, Reuben Peden, Hiram Peden and William Peden. All 
of whom have passed over to the better land, save Hiram and 
the writer hereof. My mother, Margaret Peden, died August 
1st, 1855, ^^^ ^y father on August 19th, 1855, just nineteen 
days apart. Hiram Peden resides in Anderson, Madison 
County, Indiana ; is 76 years of age, and in feeble health. I 
am 80 years of age and am quite rugged for that age." 

"The Pedens were humble folk, good Christians and loyal 
citizens." — David H. Peden. 

"The Pedens were never ambitious to shine, but in church 
and state were the staunch yeomanry." — David T. Peden. 



172 THE PEDENiS OF AMERICA. 

"The Pedens were never politicians ; all quiet farmers or 
mechanics, and always deeply religious people." — G. R. 
Paden. 

"The Pedens are a quiet, home-loving race, have no taste 
for public life ; farming is the favorite work of most of us." — 
J. Waddy T. Peden. 

"The Pedens were, and are a quiet people, slow to wrath 
but 'Tak tent how ye meddle wi their rights.' " — A Kentucky 
Peden. 

In reply to the question asked of a Missouri Paden as to 
whether any Pedens were in the Spanish-American war. 1897- 
1898, came the reply, 'The Padens have something better to 
do than be found idling time away around the campfires of 
useless warfare, .among the riff-raflf of volunteer soldiery. 
When their country needs them to defend her liberties they 
are found in the front ranks." 

One can fancy the spirit of old John Peden in the above. 
The Pedens were not triflers of old, neither are they today, 
this characteristic is the same in all ages. Ready to ,die for a 
principle but scorn a caprice. They are for "Liberty, civil, 
social and religious." 

If the sons of Peden inherited the strongly marked traits 
of the father, John Peden, shorn of some of his enthusiastic 
faith, the daughters of Peden stand for all that is pure, true 
and sweet in woman, like the mother, Peggy McDill. She 
has always stood for the kingdom of home, always a home- 
maker. There were always some notable house-keepers or 
famous cooks among them, but as the wife, the mother, she 
shines brighter. The name has never figured in the civil 
courts as a "fair divorcee," nor has there ever been a divorced 
woman among them. To most of them the crown of mater- 
nity has descended and they wear it proundly, uncomplain- 
ingly. Into some lives there came and comes a minor chord 
that of widowhood. Now the Paden widow does not wrap 
her grief around her like a sable robe and sit inconsolable all 
her days. Second marriages were always rare. She lives for 
her children. There were many such during that dark period 



THE PEDENS OF AMEKICA. 173 

of 1861-65. Some left with large families of helpless little 
ones, but none of them ever gave up in despair and sent their 
children to some orphan home ; they simply put their trust in 
God and struggled on. Verily they had their reward — in a 
generation of sturdy, independent men and useful women. 

Spinsterhood is rare, but there were always one or two 
true "old maids" or household angels to step fearlessly into 
the lines when some devoted sister has fallen asleep to take 
up the tangled threads and smooth the way for the children's 
feet. There is in the writer's mind a picture sweet of Miss 
Jane Harrison, of precious memory, and Miss Elizabeth 
Peden, who has just bravely taken charge of a brood of eight 
or ten young nephew^s and nieces left orphans, this being the 
third or fourth time in her beautiful self-sacrificing Hfe that 
she has placed herself in the desolate breach made by death. 
Also there is another, young in years but strong in spirit, 
Miss Irene Peden, who mothers a crowd of five motherless 
babes. These are only a few personally known to the writer, 
while from far ofif Mississippi she has just laid down a letter 
in which is this statement : "A Peden mother, a widow, laid 
five sons on the altar of the Southern Confederacy." 

There is a tradition that Peggy McDill reappears once 
every generation in some female descendant, if so she must 
have doubled in the generation to which the writer belongs 
in Mrs. H. B. Stewart, Martha Eugenia Peden( line of Alex- 
ander), and Mrs. E. T. Jarvis, Eveline Peden (line of David). 
Both are notable housekeepers and model home-makers, 
both wear the crown maternal on fair unsullied brows, both 
have the sunny hair, the laughing blue eyes, both are divinely 
tall and fair, and each home is full of the merry laughter of 
happy childhood. Eugenia Stewart lives at Fairview, Eveline 
Jarvis dw^ells in Peden, Miss. 

The Peden woman is little known outside her home. Its 
circle is wide enough for her happiness. She in not even 
"wrapt up in church work," which is quite frequently a sad 
misnomer for something else far less worthy. She cares 
little for the outside world. There are exceptions of course 



174 THE PEDENS OF AMEUICA. 

to this general rule, but they all stand firm, whatever their 
views, for "The peace, purity and perfect harmony of the 
home." 

JULIA PEDEN— A PEDEN HBKOINE. 

The young girl Julia Peden, of Montana, whose noble act 
or heroism copied from the Anaconda Standard, Anaconda, 
Montana, is inserted here as an example of the quick wit and 
ready resource peculiar to the Peden woman. She never hes- 
itates in the hour of peril : 

"It was on May 14 that Julia Peden, that brave and daring 
little rough rider woman of Eastern Montana, rode her race 
with the north coast limited train that has made her famous. 
Riding over the rolling prairie on her pet pony Kuter, she 
came upon a fire that was destroying a railroad bridge. The 
location was such that the fastest train in the Northwest, the 
north coast limited, due then in twenty minutes, could not see 
the fire in time to stop. Visions of the awful wreck that 
would ensue, the death and destruction that would result, 
flashed through the girl's mind. Her's was the duty, as she 
saw it, to ride to the station and stop the train before it had 
gained headway. Like the wind she sped away on the four- 
mile ride, covering the distance in fourteen minutes. And now 
the railway company has given her a testimonial of its appre- 
ciation. A Standard correspondent and photographer, who 
secured the photographs of the young lady posed especially 
for the Standard, that appear on this page, tells of his visit to 
her home. 

"Miles City, June 11. — This morning just as the sun showed 
his red disk above old Signal Butte and gilded the metal and 
glass and rose-tinted the steam cloud of the eastbound 4:22 
train, I put the little gray before the buggy and tried how 
quick he could cover the distance to Julia Peden's home. He's 
known hereabouts as a "fair good roadster," in Gray J. D., 
and I pushed him a little the last half, yet the four miles that 
Julia Peden rode at midday the 14th of May last, when she 
stopped the north coast train, took us 28 minutes. Julia did it 




JULIA PEDEN. 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 175 

in 14 minutes and had a good three-quarters further to cover 
that I had. 

"Her father, Dave Peden, the well-known cowboy farmer, 
was in the stable yard when we rattled in to the narrow by 
lane among the young cottonwoods, and the little Scotch 
housewife and mother was already astir in the neat kitchen. 

" 'Yer takin' an early spin the morn,' says the Scotch far- 
mer. 'Ye have the nag warmed up ; he's fair too fat for the 
likes. Take out the bit, man, and tie to yon rack, where he'll 
get a mouthful of alfalfa while he cools, and we'll have a bit 
of breakfast shortly oursel's.' 

"There's nothing quite like the sun and wind to blow the 
foohshness out of one. Joe — that's the farm name JuHa has 
from her father — Joe's face shows she has plenty of contact 
with the sun and wind. 'Have ye the pigskin under the seat ? 
Ye'll not let the mare go too fast, Joe? And ye'U be home 
against noontime?' were the father and mother's inquiries — 
not commands — as 14-year-old JuHa, with her long, neat 
braid and her gauntlets and cowboy hat, stepped into the 
buggy at 6 a. m., and was off for the reservation course to put 
the aforesaid pigskin on Door Key and give him his regular 
work. 

" 'Door Key,' JuHa had explained to me as we sat at the 
frugal breakfast of cofifee, eggs, good, home-made bread and 
strawberry jam, 'is a dandy. He's getting his name from the 
range mark on the broad of his jaw. Indeed, yes. It would 
have been a different story if I had been up on that big bay 
lad instead of poor Httle Kuter. Kuter's a' right for a mon- 
grel grasser, but the big bay, he'd no stop at ditches or 
fences — if I'd let him. Mack D. owns him. I am to work 
him every day. We will see what he can do at the race meet- 
ing on the Fourth.' 

"Once Farmer Dave had gone to his work I sat for a few 
minutes with the mother, who talked in her quiet way about 
JuHa, her brother, their's, her's and David's life since they 
came out from across the water to Michigan, then to New 
Mexico, where Julia was born. 



176 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

" 'She's 15 her next birthday. Her father says she's the 
licht, firm ha-a-nd that horses Hke. Yes, she's helpful, JuHe 
is,' said the mother. 'She Hkes driving the mower for her 
father. Boys, ye know, have a way of losing their temper 
with young horses, jerkin' them about, but Julie always has 
patience and gets on well. JSIo fear of her losing her head 
over a bit of notoriety. It's an education Julie — and the fam- 
ily — are wanting for her; not the taking of her to the wild 
west show.' 

" 'Yes,' went on Mrs. Peden, 'I think it was on the 14th of 
last month I gave Julia leave to take Kuter — the little bald- 
face pony — and go to the schoolsouse, just over near the 
bridge that burned. The teacher was having some doings 
and all the child's mates were riding there for a holiday.' 

"And so it most fittingly happened that day that 'the little 
Peden maid who rides races' chanced to be astride a horse 
near the 85-foot bridge situated at the slough, a half mile east 
of her home — a pile and timber structure not unlike the one 
shown in the accompanying picture. Neighbor Leonard saw 
the bridge burning, saw Julia. It needed but a word to drive 
thoughts of holiday pleasures out of her mind and send her 
fiying villageward. Faithful to the little mother, though, she 
took time to dash to the door as she passed. 

" 'Child ! Child ! Ye can't do it ; the fast train must be due 
here in 20 minutes ; but hurry, hurry ; try it, try it.' 

"Save for a couple of narrow gulches and one sharp turn 
the course lies true and straight along the railroad track to 
the town. The girl's training has been good, and it stood her 
in hand that day. She knew how and when to push a mount 
to his limit. Three miles up the trails ducks under a bridge 
so low one must 'scrooch a bit and take ofif one's hat, for they 
have started dumping gravel to fill it up, as the're doing all 
the pile bridges.' 

" 'Sell Kuter !' said Julia to me today. 'I think not ! A while 
back we did want to sell him, but I think he's like to stay on 
with us now. Oh, no ; he wasn't so beat, though, at the fast 
four miles, if he did shed lather from every strap the last 



H 

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o 
W 

O 

w 
« 

« 

n 

a 

« 




f^ 




THE PEDBNS OF AMERICA. 177 

burst, and there's many a 'grasser' that could't have headed 
us from the last crossing to the telegraph office.' 

"She was in good time, the train was held. Neighbor Leo- 
nard piled ties east and west and kept a lookout until the work 

train arrived. 

"President Mellen was out on the line at the time, and not 

much later Julia got a Tlease call' card from the Northern 
Pacific Express Company. When she called there was ten- 
dered, as a testimony of the railway's appreciation, her choice 
of 'a pass for the year or a hundred dollars in cash.' It 
needed but one guess to tell which she would take. That 
hundred will soon be on time deposit along with the eighty- 
odd already there as a result of 'Joe's' getting several good 
horses under the wire first at last year's races. 

"While the Httle maid in not in the least 'puffed' about the 
exploit and consequent compHmentary notices, one thing is 
most pleasing to her and her family, and may be worth a 
great deal to them by bringing them in touch with their kin- 
folk scattered from the Atlantic to the Pacific. For instance, 
D. D. Peden, ironmaster, from somewhere South, writes: 
'My Dear Little Cousin, etc.: I saw the article quoted in our 
daily paper. I am proud of you.' Then follow other letters 
telling of the reunion at the Fairview Presbyterian church, 
South Carolina, and the jolly time the 1,300 Pedens and their 
kinfolks had, and how John Peden and Margaret McDill 
came out before the Revolution, raised a family of ten, with 

never a bad one, etc. 

"Here's to your success, thrifty Scotch lass. May your 

nag never put foot in a pairie-dog burrow, and here, finally, 
is my indorsement of the sentiments of one of your kin, a 
neighbor, who has long watched you 'sit straight' as you rode 
through the village, and said as he threw up his bonnet when 
you came ahead over the scratch : 'She's gude, the child is ! 
She's no afraid at a pinch to put a mount's nose in where 
the're bunched and takin' a chance at findin' room for hersel' 
and the saddle gittin' through. Man, but the gerl sits Hke she 
was part of the horse !' " — L. A. Hufifman, in the Anaconda 
Standard. 



CHAPTER X. 

THE FOUNiDERS OF A HOUSE. 

"The man who rules his spirit" — 

Saith the voice that cannot err, 

"Is greater than the man who takes a city." 

—Hale. 

"What is nobler for a woman than 

To know, within her hands 
Is the destiny if nations, and 

The fate of many Lands." 

— Bryant. 

John Peden, father and founder of the American house of 
Peden, especially in the South and West, was born near 
Broughshane, in the Parish of Ballymena, County Antrim, 
Ireland, as nearly as can now be ascertained, about the year 
1709. This statement is confirmed by his granddaughter, 
Eleanor (Peden) Dunbar, who claimed that he was born just 
one hundred years, to date, before she was. Her birth date 
being June 16, 1809. He was one of at least five brothers, 
family tradition says seven, and that David was "the seventh 
son of the seventh son," therefore supernaturally gifted. His 
father was named James, or Thomas, there is some dispute 
as to which. His mother, according to one testimony, was 
Mary Mills. His grandparents being James Peden and Agnes 
Miller. This James Peden was a younger brother of "The 
Prophet Peden." In this family there were three sons, Alex- 
ander, James and Mingo. Their mother was Isabella Robb, 
and the father was Hugh Peden, who suffered martyrdom ; 
the grandfather being Alexander Peden, husband of one of 
the daughters of the "House of Hamilton, with whom he re- 
ceived a fair dower." 

These statements are given as they reached the writer, but 
it is "a far cry" back to 1524, so there may be some mistakes. 
The father and brothers, as well as John Peden himself, were 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 179 

Ulstermen to the heart's core, having part in the long con- 
tinued, bloody warfare that banished the Stuart forever from 
the throne. Of the "distaf? side," mere mention calls up 
memories of covenanting names, glowing crimson on the 
annals of martyrology. 

Only one of John Peden's brothers remained in Ireland. 
There is some uncertainty about his name, probably Robert 
or Samuel, and his descendants yet linger at the old home in 
Broughshane, while one or two others returned to Scotland, 
when the way was opened on the suppression of the woolen 
trade, and where their descendants are found in Ayreshire 
and other parts of Scotland. Tradition also state that two 
or three brothers preceded John Peden to America ; another 
version states that they followed from time to time. Only very 
recently have traces been found of the descendants of these 
old brothers, and all families of Peden, who came to Ameri- 
ca prior to the Revolution of 1776- 1783 trace their origin to 
one of these four brothers. The Pedens of Enon Valley, 
Penna., from whom the writer has been unable to elicit any 
replies to numerous inquiries, hold the same traditions as 
those held by the descendants of John Peden, founder of the 
Southern house. 

John Peden grew to manhood in troublous days, which 
left an indelible impress on his character; an enthusiast in his 
faith, he inherited the fervid piety of long generations of 
saints and martyrs. He possesed a fair, almost liberal, edu- 
cation. "For be it remembered that the exiled Scots in 
Ireland were very careful to have good schools, and attended 
carefully to the education of their children, both secular and 
religious, therefore, they were not cast upon the shores of 
the new world a crowd of ignorant wretches." From Doug- 
las Campbell's Puritans of the South.) He was therefore 
steady and industrious at his trade of wagonmaker; he also 
was skilled in other woodwork as well, and knew somewhat 
of "blacksmithing," which stood him good stead. He was a 
stern, silent man, of quiet temper and rigid self-control, rul- 
ing his own spirit, very humble in his own eyes, and reticent 



i8o THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

about his attainments which were many and varied, cheerful 
and content with his lot in life. His one pride and glory being 
in his descent from an ancestry which had never bowed the 
neck to Rome. Family tradition states that his grandfather, 
who bore the name of Andrew Hugh Peden, a young man, 
and the father of several young children, was shot by the 
orders of Claverhouse, whide standing by St. Mary's Loch, 
in a lonely glen. He sprang forward in the death struggle 
into the black waters of the loch, which received his body and 
holds it in sacred trust until time shall be no more, and all 
will be revealed. 

Scorning the intervention of the priest, which the Irish law 
required, John Peden was married by a Protestant minister 
to his neighobor's daughter, bonny "Peggy" or Margaret 
McDill. She always bore this name. 

[Note — For the history of "Peggy" or Margaret McDill 
the writer is indebted to several members of the McDill fam- 
ily, which family has kept its records intact for centuries.] 

"Peggy" or Margaret was the eldest daughter of John Mc- 
Dill and Janet Leslie, his wife (what memories the Leslie 
name stirs). She was born during August, 1715, at Brough- 
shane, Ballymena Parish, Antrim County, Ireland. "She was 
a winsome lassie, brimful of glee, buxom and rosy." She 
married John Peden after much coaxing on his part in the 
year 1730, being not quite sixteen years old at the time, 
therefore she was more like a sister than mother to her older 
children, while her staid husband acted for all. She is de- 
scribed as a sweet-faced, sunny-tempered woman, with deep 
blue, laughing eyes and golden hair, whose rebellious curl 
refused the restraint of cap or snood, and reveled in the 
winds." As to figure, she was not, as is generally supposed, a 
"little dimpled darling," to be cuddled and petted, but rather cast 
in heroic mould, "large and stately, with a spirit and mind of 
her own." Her supply of wit and humor was as great as that 
of her husband was lacking ; his faith bordered on fanaticism, 
while hers took a very practical common sense form, and it 
is told that she rather deUghted in "bringing her John to 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. i8i 

earth" sometimes, which he bore with great patience for the 
love-sake. Her personal energy was boundless, and while 
her household were not clad in purple and fine linen, her in- 
dustrious hands kept them bountifully supplied. She was a 
famous housekeeper, and because her youngest daughter 
most resembled her in this respect, she at her death "willed 
to my beloved daughter Elizabeth my set of wedding china." 
While she loved work, she also delighted in "a little play." 
She maintained throughout life a strong devotion to her fam- 
ily, and always insisted on being called "Peggv'" McDill, and 
so well was she loved by them that there has always been in 
the American family of McDill a Margaret to bear her name, 
some of whom being marvellous reproductions. 

Their children were all ten born in Ireland, and the parents 
were long past life's summer time when they came across the 
seas. Mary, the eldest, was born 1732, James 1734, Jane 
17 , Thomas 1743, William 1749, Elizabeth 1750, John 1752, 
Samuel 1754, Alexander 1756, David 1760. These all came 
to America with their parents. During that long and peri- 
lous voyage the Christian fortitude of the father shone out 
brightly through the darkest hours, though the mother some- 
times murmured secretly for the "auld countree," she bore 
herself calmly, even cheerfully, all the way over. David her 
youngest was a "braw lad" of ten when they came over, and 
"Davie" idolized his fair mother, while he stood greatly in 
awe of his father, who wore a stern countenance. The nu- 
merous grandchildren, too, claimed the care of the mother, 
so she had little time to herself on that crowded emigrant 
ship. During the trying hours when crew and passengers 
were having that feaful struggle for the mastery, the spirit of 
"Peggy" McDill never once faltered. Her keen eyes were 
the first to sight the new shores, as they were the last to view 
the old, and when they came to anchor she stepped ashore 
with proud, firm tread, bearing, well wrapped in her shawl, 
one of the youngest grandchildren. Eminently fitted by 
nature for a pioneer's wife, she transmitted much of her 
strong character to her sons and daughters, while the father's 



i82 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

piety and energ-y were splendid examples for his children, 
and they were faithfully followed. The mother's industry 
was tireless, and "whatever she put her hands to prospered," 
so when the Indians stole her "stufif" she forthwith made 
more. On one occasion when after much abuse and many 
threats, they set fire to her cabin during the absence of her 
husband and sons, she "outed the flames" with her own 
hands, having the children bring water from the spring in 
"piggins." In the hour of danger she was as ready with a 
musket as husband or sons ; but she loved best the days of 
peace ; to sing old-time ballads and psalms to the humming 
of her wheel. 

When the call came for men to rise for the sacred cause 
of Freedom John Peden was too old for active service. He 
did not hesitate long. Peggy said "he must go with the 
boys" so she took from her "kist" of blankets, all the work 
of her hands, a goodly store, rolled and bound them with 

t 

deer-skin thongs, packing in a few shirts, and woolen socks 
of her own knitting, then prepared the parched corn for 
their "rock-a-hominy," singing all the while to keep her 
"spirits up." John Peden made ready his wagon, while the 
sons, who were at home, the four youngest, burnished their 
guns, moulded bullets, filled their powder horns, and sharp- 
ened their hunting knives. It was the voice of this Spartan 
mother that sent them forth from that cabin home on the 
hillside. All together, husband and sons, to do or die for 
liberty, with the words, "Laddies be bra', dinna ye show 
white feather, remember ye mither, and God be wi ye." Then 
she stood shading her eyes with her hand until they were lost 
to sight, and "Davie" stole back a few steps to wave his bon- 
net "to mother." The father was very useful in many ways, 
a cheerful, though silent guide. Who knows but his "fervent, 
effectual prayers" brought them safely throvigh many hair- 
breadth escapes ; many perils by flood and flame, back to the 
cabin door where Peggy welcomed them after Gate's defeat. 
The father, already old and much broken, found the Tory in 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 183 

possession, and his Peggy longing for a sight of her broth- 
er's family over in Chester, also deeming it a place of greater 
security, removed thither with the younger members of the 
family and several grandchildren, hoping to find rest, and 
here they (the old people) remained unto the end of their pil- 
grimage. [Note. — This removal is said by some to have 
taken place prior to the war, in 1774, but the majority lean 
to the date here given, 1780.] However the hope was vain, 
as is recorded elsewhere, and John Peden followed his sons 
to the grand finale at Yorktown ; thence he came back to 
Chester to find a few more years of toil, an evening time of 
rest. ' 

"Peggy" McDill was first to fall "on sleep," and lies among 
the green mounds of the McDills near Catholic church, Ches- 
ter, S. C. She was about seventy-five years old, the date of 
her death is somewhat uncertain, but is supposed to have 
been 1788. John Peden survived her some years. It is 
handed down that he made a visit to his children at Fairview, 
passing about a year among them. When the longing came 
to be near his wife was no longer resistible, he was carried 
back by his sorrowing sons, James, the eldest remaining with 
him until his release came, which is said to have occurred in 
1791-1792. This would, if the dates are correct have given 
him a long life of over four score years (1709— 1791). The 
date of death is thus fixed, as it was during this year that 
David Morton was married and brought his first wife, Pene- 
lope White, to Fairview, and he had made it his duty to stay 
with his loved gradnfather, and who records, that as he lifted 
him from his chair to his bed he uttered these words : "Lord 
thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations." They 
are recorded on his monument at Fairview church, S. C. 
But John Peden lies also in the beautifully kept burial place 
of the McDills, near Catholic church, in Chester. Not as is 
generally believed, in the church yard at Fairview. 

The name of John Peden is not blazoned on his country's 
roll of fame; his good deeds are unwritten and unsung; his 



i84 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

good name is borne by thousands of worthy sons scattered 
over all America's wide domains, so we inscribe proudly here : 
To the memory of our father, John Peden, Christian soldier 
of the American Revolution, 1776- 1783. 

The name of "Peggy" McDill does not appear on the pages 
of Mrs. Ellet's Women of the Revolution, but we inscribe her 
here as the mother of a mighty race, who rise and call her 
blessed, among the Spartan dames of a glorious era. 



CHAPTER XL 



HOUSE OF MAHY. 



Mary, or as she was best known in her home and among 
her friends, "Pretty Polly," was the eldest daughter, as well 
as eldest child of John and Peggy Peden. Her birth place 
was near Broughshane, in Antrim County, Ireland. The best 
accepted date being 1730-1732. She is spoken of traditionally 
as being very lovely, both in character and person. She pos- 
sessed the beautiful dark eyes inherited from the martyr 
Mill, or Mills; eyes that smile or glow as the soul within is 
stirred by varying emotions. She was a devout Christian, a 
model house-wife and true mother, yet withal full of the in- 
trepid, pioneer spirit, utterly devoid of fear. Though the 
latter part of her life, covering many years, was spent in a 
cripple's chair, and though a great sufferer, she was uncom- 
plaining, patient, and directed with great precision the do- 
mestic machinery of her large househould. From its depths 
she was lovingly, tenderly, mournfully born "over the hill" 
by her stalwart sons to her last rest, in true Scottish fashion. 
She was married in Ireland to James Alexander, and was the 
mother of several children before the emigration took place. 

The Alexander name needs no comment from the pen of 
the Peden historian, it shines, on Scotland's annals as far back 
as there are records. It is of Greek origin, the legend run- 
ning thus: "The first Alexander, a Greek merchant, was 
driven ashore near Edinburg under stress of weather, meet- 
ing kindness at the hands of a Caledonian lassie, he forgot 
home and Greece," which is saying a great deal for a Greek. 
The name is peer to the oldest in the land, having its closest 
association with the fortunes of Stirling. Among the dissent- 
ing nobles, with the Cameronian leaders, with the long-roll 
of the Solemn League and Covenant, with the Scots exiles to 
Ireland. In both church and state in the old world and the 
new it glows with undiminished luster. 

Of James Alexander, the husband of "Aunt Polly" the 



i86 THE PEDEl^S OF AMERICA. 

writer has only a few traditions. He was a master mind, and 
the pivot on which the settlement at Fairview turned. He 
was extremely liberal with his ample (for that day) means. 
He gave the land for church and school buildings. In a hol- 
low dell between his old homestead and the church the bricks 
were moulded and burned for the old brick church and a few 
remains of the moulding and burning are yet to be seen there, 
1900. He was noble of mein, inclined more to joviality than 
dignity ; he was generous of heart and open of hand ; his hos- 
pitality was boundless ; his countenance was merry and ruddy. 
He lived to a great age, but no trace of his tomb was found 
by the writer after a long search. He, too, was actively en- 
gaged in the Revolutionary War, with several sons, among 
them his eldest, afterwards Maj. Jno. Alexander of the "Tyger 
Irish," in the famous Spartan Regiment. 

Their children were in number thirteen ; the sons are men- 
tioned first and daughters last, not as they naturally came, 
and the writer simply follows the information given by their 
granddaughter, Mrs. C. A. Shannon. 

I., John (1751); II., Joseph; III., James, Jr., (1760); IV., 
Thomas; V., William; VI., Alexander; VII., Samuel the last 
died young. 

The daughters were: VIII., Katherine; IX., Margaret; X., 
Nency; XL, Mary; XII., Elizabeth; XIII., Jane. 

I., John, the eldest son, was born in Ireland and was about 
fifteen or sixteen years of age when they came over. "During 
the Revolution, 1776, he commanded the 'Tyger Irish' in the 
great battle of King's Mountain. His grave is still visible in 
the church-yard of Fairview church, in Gwinnett County, 
Georgia, which church he and a number of Alexanders and 
Pedens really founded. The marble slab over his grave 
bears the inscription: 'Sacred to the memory of Maj. John 
Alexander, who departed this life May 29th, 1830, in the 75th 
year of his age. The Patriot, the Soldier, and the Christ- 
ian.' " 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 187 

I 

The family to which his first wife belonged originally 
owned the land whereon now stands the flourishing city of 
Spartanburg. Landrum, in his Revolutionary and Colonial 
History of Upper South Carolina, makes the statement, 
"Where Spartanburg now stands was deeded for a court 
house by Thomas Williamson." 

He was twice married, first to Williamson. One 

record states that she was from Kentucky, but later investi- 
gation proves her from Spartanburg, S. C. She was mother 
of two sons, I, Thomas W. ; 2, James. After her death, he 
married a Mrs. Russell, of North Carolina. Her children 
wxre : 3, Elizabeth ; 4, Newton ; 5, FrankUn ; 6, Harvey ; 7, 
Jane ; 8, Amanda. 

I, Thomas Williamson Alexander married Walker, 

of Picken, S. C. Five sons and one daughter, Thomas W. Jr., 
WiHam, Judge John R., Cicero, James P., Elizabeth. Of 
these the writer has scant record. Thomas W. Jr., married, 

Hooper ; their children, Hon. Hooper Alexander, Mrs. 

J. A. Rounsaville. Mrs. C. W. King, Mrs. S. P. Pegues. Hon. 

Hooper Alexander married Word, a cousin on his 

mother's side. They have several children. He was one of 
the prominent figures of the Peden reunion, and holds a high 
position in the legal profession of his native State, Georgia. 
His sister, Mrs. Hallie Alexander Rounsaville, is president of 
the United Daughters of the Confederacy. 

John R., now an octegenarian, was, in his prime, an emi- 
nent jurist and prominent both in church and state. Of his 
immediate family the writer has no records. As a man he is 
greatly loved and reverenced by all who know him. Owing 
to his great age and failing health, he failed to honor the re- 
union with his presence, or the address assigned him, and 
when asked to write his reminisences, repHed very courte- 
ously and regretfully that the fire fiend, which swept away 
his lovely home, had destroyed all his journals with his 
library, and he was unwilling at his age to trust his memory. 



i88 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

William. No records. 

Cicero. No records. 

James F. (The following is taken from the Atlanta Consti- 
tution ; it appeared a few days before he went home) : 

"Dr. Jas. Franklin Alexander was born in Greenville 
County (then district), S. C, May 24, 1824. When a child his 
parents moved to Georgia and settled at Laurenceville, where 
he received the principle part of his early education at a 
school taught by Rev. James Patterson. He began the study 
of medicine in 1846, and graduated from the Medical College 
of Georgia, at Augusta, 1849 (two years after the graduation 
from the same college of the writer's father, 1847). The fol- 
lowing account of the cause of his residence in Atlanta is 
given in the Memoirs of Georgia : 

*Tn April, 1849, ^ n\3-T^ was attacked with smallpox, and Dr. 
Alexander, though he had just graduated, thought he saw an 
opportunity to establish himself in Atlanta. He immediately 
went there, thinking, as he says, that it was no worse to run 
the risk of smallpox than to have no practice. Arriving there 
he met Dr. E. C. Calhoun, a former classmate, who had come 
on the same errand, and who had secured the refusal of a 
room, the only one than to be had, that would serve as an 
ofBce. Dr. Calhoun, however, decided that the rent for the 
little office (it was only $6.00 per month), was too great, and 
Dr. Alexander at once secured it. The smallpox patient was 
lying ill at the Thompson (the proprietor of this hostelry was 
Jos. Thompson, a brother of Alexander Thompson, who mar- 
ried first Elizabeth Alexander, then Eliza Peden, houses of 
Mary and Thomas, therefore connected by marriage), and 
stood where the Kimball House now stands, and was con- 
ducted as well as owned by Dr. Thompson, who soon after 
erected a small wooden structure oustide the city to which 
the two patients, a man and woman, were removed. There 
Dr. Alexander took charge of them, and under his efficient 
care and treatment they recovered. This made Dr. Alexan- 
der's reputation at once and he entered upon a large prac- 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 189 

tice which continued to increase until he retired from active 
work several years ago. 

At the outbreak of the Civil War Dr. Alexander entered 
the Confederate army as surgeon of the Seventh Georgia 
Regiment (infantry), of which Col. L. J. Gastrell was the first 
Colonel. He served six months in the field then was detailed 
to hospital duty in Atlanta, in which he was actively engaged 
until the close of the war. 

For ten years he was a member of the board of health of 
Atlanta, and its president for several terms. In 1896, during 
the the yellow fever scare, he maintained, that the disease 
would not spread in Atlanta and as president of the board 
of health and against active opposition, he opened the doors 
of the city to fever refugees. One fever patient was brought 
and treated but without the disease spreading, thus proving 
Dr. Alexander's faith in the clmate of Atlanta was not mis- 
placed." 

He was twice married and the author recalls vividly the 
often confusing resemblance of the first wife to her own 
sainted mother, and her own frequent mistakes regarding 
them, especialy at church, which both attended as devoted 
members. 

At that time there were Jennie, James F., (the writer sup- 
poses that Jennie is now Mrs. J. P. Stevens), Ada, whom she 
does not recall. The two families were separated to meet no 
more at the close of the civil war, they remaining in Atlanta, 
Ga., her father being transferred to Montgomery, Ala., in 
1863. 

Elizabeth was twice married, first to Dr. Gordon, who fell 
a victim to yellow fever during an epidemic in Savannah, Ga., 
nobly refusing to leave his post, and giving his Hfe for suffer- 
ing humanity. Their children were four, Alice, Albert, 
Thomas A., Florence. 

Alice married Cassells, mother of several children, 

and possibly grandchildren. 

Albert gave his bright young life a sacrifice to the Confed- 
erate cause, dying in Mobile, Ala., in 1863- 1864. 



I90 THE PEDENS OF AMEKICA. 

Thomas married in Virginia, and did not long survive his 
marriage. Whethei^hey had any children or not the writer 
is in ignorance. 

Florence, former schoolmate and playfellow of the writer, 

for a few brief months, married Cassells, Has eleven 

children. 

Elizabeth Alexander Gordon married the second time 
Lowry. No children. 

2, James (son of Maj. John), married his cousin in the 
second degree, Margaret Peden, eldest daughter of David, " 
the seventh son, therefore of the house of David. Their 
children were seven: i, Eleanor; 2, Elizabeth; 3, Nancy; 4, 
Thomas; 5, John; 6, James; 7, Franklin. 

I, Eleanor married William Knox. 

2, Elizabeth married Norton. 

3, Nancy married Claiborne Brown. Of these no trace has 
been obtained. 

4, Thomas married and moved to Texas. No further trace. 

5, John died young. 

6, James moved to North Alabama; later, 1866, to Califor- 
nia. 

7,Franklin. No trace. 

This family moved from Fairview, S. C, to Gwinnett 
County, Georgia, either with Maj. Jno, Alexander or soon 
after his migration. The following, copied from the oldest 
church record in existence: "1820. Maj. John Alexander, 
his entire family and William Alexander (his brother), and his 
entire family leave the State for Georgia. Regularly dis- 
missed. Anthony Savage, Clerk of Sessions." 

These families went to occupy newly opend lands in Geor- 
gia, and settled in what is now Gwinnett County, founding 
together with a number of Pedens and others of the same 
family, the church of Fairview, in memory of the old home 
church, and many of them are sleeping in its church yard, es- 
pecially the older members. 



THE PEDETs^S OF AMERICA. 191 

This completes the records of the two older sons of Maj. 
John Alexander and his first wife, Williamson. 

• Maj. Jno. x\lexander and his second wife, Mrs. Russell, 
I, Elizabeth married Chatham. No children. 

2, Newton married Knox. Two daughters, names 

unknown. 

3, Franklin married Neal. Three children. Har- 
riet, Mrs. M. A. Salmons, name of other child not given. 

4, Harvey married. Wife's name not given. Four children. 
No trace. 

5, Jane married. Name not given. Several children. 

6, Amanda died young. 

n. Joseph never married. 

in. James Alexander, Jr., (1760-1761) married Mary or 
"Polly" Miller, of Spartanburg County (who also spent her 
last years a cripple), lived out his long, useful life at Fair- 
view, S. C, where he sleeps his last sleep, among his race. 
There are two incidents in his life which show the spirit of 
this man. He was more daring as a soldier than prudent. 

"In 1781 a certain Col. Greigson was shot at Augusta by 
an American militiaman, after having surrendered. It was 
claimed by the American authorities that no one knew who 
did the shooting. Col. Thos. Brown, the British olBcer in 
command of the captured garrison, afterward, in 1786, de- 
clared in a letter written from the Bahamas, that the shot was 
fired by a militiaman from Carolina under the command of 
Gen. Pickens, and that his name was James Alexander. Capt. 
Hugh McCall, of Savannah, states, in 1816, that the shot 
was fired by Samuel Alexander in revenge for great cruelties 
and indignities previously practiced by Brown and Greigson 
upon his father, Jas. Alexander, Sr. Now as Samuel was very 
young at the time and never in the army, the general belief in 
the clan is that the act of revenge was performed by James, 
Jr. The other incident is positively vouched for. He was so 



192 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

daring and reckless toward the Britsh that he was in per- 
petual "hot water." He refused protection in the dark days 
and went home to see his mother; the enemy caught him, 
assured his mother that she should never behold him alive, 
they threw a halter round his neck intending to hang him.' 
They had not reckoned upon the spirit of Mary Peden. 
Alexander was rescued by his brothers and safely spirited 
away by them to another part of the country. His mother 
was kept posted as to his whereabouts, but none else knew. 
He did not return to South Carolina until the year after peace 
was declared. Then he joined his uncles, the Peden brothers, 
John, Samuel and David in the pioneer settlement of Fair- 
view, S. C. Their children : i, Rachel ; 2, Elizabeth ; 3, Nancy ; 
4, Harriet; 5, Jane Caroline; 6, James; 7, Robert. 

1, Rachel never married, but spent a long, useful, beautiful 
home life, leaving a fragrant memory of good deeds well 
done and service lovingly rendered 

2, Elizabeth married Alexander Thompson and settled near 
Fairview, S. C. Children': i, Joseph; 2, James; 3, John; 4, 
William ; 5, Jane ; 6, Mary Ann. 

I, Joseph married a daughter of Samuel Morrow, Jr. 

2, James married Rebecca (Peden) Morton, daughter of 
Jno. Thos. Peden (house of Alexander), and widow of Mont- 
gomery Morton, who, with the wife of Joseph, above men- 
tioned, were of the house of Jane. Their children were six: 
Alexander, John Thomas, Joseph, Mary, David, Jefiferson. 

3, "William married Hawk. No further trace of 

these three familes, save they with the Mortons. Morrows 
and others located near Fayettville, Tenn., and Somerville, 
Ala. 

4,Jane married A. W. Peden, son of M. White Peden 
(house of Thomas) where her record is to be found. 

5, John married. Wife's name unknown, supposed to be 
Morrow. 

6, Mary married Moore. Four children; one son 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 193 

and three daughters. No further trace save they located near 
Somevlille, Alabama. 

3, Nancy married Jno. Anderson on the 4th day of October, 
1825. Their children: 

1, James Alexander was born on the 6th day of August, 
1826; departed April 12, 1868, of consumption contracted in 
camp during the civil war on Confederate side. 

2, Clarrisssa A. was born on the 14th day of November, 
1828; departed on the 14th Septembre, 1872. 

3, Sara EHzabeth was born on the 4th day of May, 183 1 ; 
departed September 26, i860. Never married. 

4, Mary Jane was born on the 30th day of November, 1834; 
departed March 31, 1836; aged two years. 

5, Martha A. was born on the 15th day of Feb., 1837. 

6, William Denny was born on the 9th day of August, 1840; 
departed on Nov. i6th, 1863 amid the roar and carnage of 
one of the bloodiest battles of the civil war, in Tennessee, a 
brave, loyal heart as ever beat was stilled forever. He was 
one of the first to go and he never came home from the front 
even on a brief furlough or missed a battle of his command 
until he received his honorable discharge. 

Of this family only two married. 

1, Clarissa married Oliver P. Wood. Their children: i, 
Augustus Reid ; 2, Joe Wallace ; 3, Boyd Durant ; 4, William 
Anderson; 5, John Daniel; 6, Charles Isham. Of these no 
fouther records have reached the writer. Some are married 
some are dead. 

2, Martha A. married Isham Robison. Their children: Wil- 
liam James (1867), John Anderson (1869), Oliver Isham 
(1872), Samuel Henry Hamilton (1875), Edward Miller 
(1879), died an infant, Annie Weatra (1881). 

1, William James married. No record. 

2, John Anderson married. Name of wife unknown. Three 
sons ; one daughter. 

3, Isham Oliver married. No records. 

4, Samuel H. H. also married. No records. 



194 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

5, Edward M. died. 

6, Annie Weatra married Grosse. One child, a 

daughter. 

The above records of the Anderson family were furnished 
by the sole survivor, Mrs. Martha A. Robison. 

4, Harriet married J. Wilson Baker. Mother of three sons. 

I, William L., who married xA.nne Hopkins. Their child- 
ren: I, James Alexander; 2, Pinckney Miller; 3, Harriet; 4, 
William L., Jr. ; 5, John. Of these — 

1, James Alexander died unmarried. 

2, Pinckney Miller married Woods. No record sent. 

3, Harriet married a Kirby; died leaving a number of 

children. No further records. 

4, William L. Jr., married twice; the first wife was 

Cunningham ; the second Brockman. He has several 

children ; names unknown. 

5, John also married twice. The first wife was Mc- 

Knight. Name of second and number of children unknown. 

2, James Harvey married Martha Caroline Young, youngest 
daughter of Colonel Young, of Greensboro, N. C, in 1852. 
Born to them six children: i, John Washington; 2, Alice; 3, 
Sallie Lowrance ; 4, EUiotte Sullivan ; 5, Robert Vance ; 6, 
Irene Electra. 

I, John W.Baker married Emma C. Putnam, 1878. Born 
to them six children : George Putnam, John Harvey, Harold 
Harvey, Hazel May, Gertrude Irene, Eleanor, or as she is 
lovingly called, Nellie. 

2, Sallie L. married John Cobb, of Greensboro, N. C. Born 
to them four children : Edsall Vance, Dorroh, Flora, Sallie, 
Carmie. , 

3, ElHotte S. married Samuel Dick, also of Greensboro, N. 
C. Born to them three children : Creighton, Martha, James 
Harvey. 

4, Robert Vance Baker married Lillian Minor, of Denver, 
Col. Born to them three children, Hortense Adelaide, Mer- 
ritt, Melvin. 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 195 

3, Thomas P. married Thompson. Two children, 

Beulah, Wade Hampton. The first is unmarried; the latter 
married in Mississippi. Name of wife unknown. 

The Confederate cause had no braver or more loyal sons 
than these three Baker brothers ; the two elder came out of 
the struggle wrecked physically, and died soon thereafter of 
the dread disease consumption, caused by exposure. 

Their mother was a woman of noble mein and regal bear- 
ing. A strong, sweet character, throughly energetic and 
business-like in her dealings with her kind; honest to her 
heart's core she required the same honesty from others. A 
woman more feared than loved, save by those who knew her 
best, and who were admitted to the inner circle. 

5, Jane Caroline "beautiful as an angel, a sweet saint," 
married Henry Merrit Cely. Their children, i, Martha Ann 
Elizabeth; i, Mary Ann Clarissa; 2, James Merrit; 3, Hamil- 
ton Wilson; 4, William Henry; 5, Jane Caroline; 6, Louisa 
Maria. 

I, IMartha A. E. married James P. Stewart. Their children 
are, i, Dora Jane ; 2, Robert H. ; 3, James H. ; 4, Wm. Frank- 
lin. I, Dora Jane and 2, Robert H., unmarried. 3, James H. 
married Nannie Garrett. 4, Wm. F. unmarried. 

1, Mary A. C. died an infant. 

2, James Merrit died in boyhood. 

3, Hamilton W. was twice married; first to Kate Lake. 
Their children, i, Thomas Lake; 2, Hamilton; 3, Henry Mer- 
rit ; 4, Mary Kate. The three youngest died in infancy. T. 
Lake is in business in New York city. Second to Sallie Lake. 
No children. 

The war record of Hamilton W. Cely is brief but brave and 
bright. He was a member of Company E. Hampton's Le- 
gion, and was in the foremost of their brillian dash during the 
First battle of Manassas, receiving a wound in the head that 
was nearly fatal and from which he has never fully recovered. 

4, William Henry married Alice Means. Their children, 



196 THE PEDBNS OF AMERICA. 

Elanor, Charles Cunningham, Henry Means and Jane Caro- 
line (twins), William Riley Jones, Arthur Hamilton. 

Charles C, Henry M., J. Caroline, Arthur H. all died in in- 
fancy. 

William H. Cely was a brave, daring member of Jenkins' 
Brigade, ist S. C. Regiment, and fought through the whole 
war, spending about eight months a prisoner. 

5, Jane C. married J. F. Fowler. Their children, William 
H., H. Pierce, Laurens D., Homer F., Annie L., Palmer C, 
Werner B. The two last died in infancy. William H. married 
Park. 

6, James married Esther Hanna, a daughter of the brave 
old Revolutionary patriot, and sister of Nancy, wife of Thom- 
as Peden (house of David). Their children, James L., Eliza- 
beth P., Katherine, Julia, Andrew, John Charles, Mary 
Esther. 

1, James L. unmarried. 

2, EHzabeth Palmer married W. S. Powell. One son, Alon- 
zo Jerome. 

3, Katherine was accidently drowned at the age of seven. 

4, Julia died in infancy. 

5, Andrew died in infancy. 

6, J. Charles married Emma Reeder, of Louisiana. Three 
children. Ford, Mary Esther ; name of youngest not known. 

7, Mary E. Married M. W. Ford. One child, Caroline Grif- 
fin, who died in infancy. 

James and his family moved to Cobb County, Georgia, 
about 1830. 

7, Robert married Mary Brown Seaborn, a sister of Maj. 
George Seaborn, who was for many years editor of "The Far- 
mer and Planter,', at Pendleton, S. C. They had three child- 
ren, James, Matilda Caroline, George Seaborn, of these 

I, James was burned to death in early childhood. 
2, Matilda Caroline married Dr. Mark M.Johnson, of Green- 
ville, S. C. Their children were nine, James Edwin, Mary 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 197 

Jane, Elizabeth Greenwood, William Henry, Caroline Me- 
lissa, Georgetta, Laura Henrietta, Celestia Adelaide, Kath- 
leen Edins. Dr. Johnson died at Kingston, Ga., in 1854. His 
wife at the same place in 1874. 

1, James Edwin Johnson, after graduating in dentistry, lo- 
cated at Anderson, Texas, where he married Sarah Parks. 
They left two sons, William and Joseph, in Texas. 

2, Mary Jane Johnson married Benjamin Franklin Rey- 
nolds, of Greenwood, S. C. They had eight children, Mark 
J., Nannie, James B., Mary, Frank B., WiUiam T., Alexander 
E., Eva C. 

1, Mark J. died at three years. 

2, Nancy Reynolds married George R. Briggs, of Green- 
ville, S. C. One child, a son, George Reynolds Briggs. 

3, James B. married Mary Bellenger, of Barnwell, S. C. 
Four children, William Osborne, Mary Sue, Eleanor, Nannie. 

4, Frank B. married Minnie Butler, of Eatonton, Ga. Two 
sons, Louis Butler, Samuel Fielder. 

5, William T married Carrie B. Owens, of Barnwell, S. C. 
Four children, Charles Telford, Marion Patterson, Kathleen 
Johnson, Lois Eloise. 

6, Alexander E. died at nineteen months. 

7, Mary unmarried. 

8, Eva Caroline unmarried. 

3, EHzabeth Greenwood Johnson married Joseph Dunlap, 
who was killed in the civil war. Their one son, Paul Dunlap, 
died unmarried. She married the second time Jewett Rogers, 
of Virginia. Two daughters, Carrie May, Lillian. 

Carrie May married J. B. Bowen, of Atlanta, Ga. One 
son, DeWitte. 

LilHan married J. E. Brown, of Bainbridge, Ga. One son, 
Hubert Earle. 

4, William H. Johnson died at nineteen years, just as he 
entered Oglethrope College preparatory to entering the min- 
istry of the Presbyterian Church. He was a young man of 
brilHant talent, but the Lord called him to higher work. 

5, CaroHne Melissa Johnson married Bertram Taylor, of 



igS THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

Galveston, Texas. Three children, Lola, who married George 
Westmoreland, of Bainbridge, Ga. : no children. Bertram, 
who died at eighteen, and Rollo, who married in San Anto- 
nio, Texas. 

6, Georgetta Johnson marred H. H. Frear, of Tampa, Fla. 
Two children, who died in their infancy. 

7, Laura Henrietta Johnson unmarried. 

8, Celestia Adelaide Johnson married Homer W. Gilbert, 
of Brooklyn, L. L Three children, Fred, Benjamin, Laura 
Celeste. 

9, Kathleen Edins Johnson married T. M. Dendy, of Troy, 
S. C. No children. 

3, George Seaborn, third and youngest child of Robert and 
Mary Alexander married Celestia Adelaide Rogers, of At- 
lanta, Ga. They had no children. He died at the out break 
of the civil war. 

This closes the records of the third son, James, Jr., and the 
historian is indebted for them to Messrs. H. W. Cely and J. 
W. Baker and Mesdame M. A. Robison and G. R. Briggs 

IV., Thomas. No records. 

v., William married Eleanor McCrea, of North Carolina. 
Six children were born to them. 

1, Simpson, who married an Humphries. Had six children 
and died in Gainesville, Ga. Was brought home and hurried 
at Hebron church. 

2, William Henry who died in Confederate service. 

3, John M. who was twice married. His first wife was a 
Gunnells. They had seven sons and five daughters. 

4, Mary Ann never married. 

5, Catherine never married. 

6, Cynthia A. married J. H. Shannon. Four sons and five 
daughters. 

In the language of the devoted son of Mrs. C. A. Shannon, 
whom all who attended the Fairview reunion will recall with 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 199 

pleasure as a model son, whose devotion to her every want 
was beautiful. He says : 

"Our dear mother left us on the 7th day of February, 1900, 
and we miss her so much; home does not appear like home 
now to us. She does not meet me at the door wheni go ; and 
the old rocker in the corner is not occupied; in fact it is no 
longer there." 

Cynthia A. Shannon was the youngest child of William 
Alexander and his wife, Eleanor McCrea. Born in Franklin 
County, Ga., December 27, 1820, and died at her home in the 
same county February 7, 1900. She was said to have been the 
oldest one of the Peden relatives who attended the reunion 
of the house of Peden, 1899. She was a woman of strong in- 
tellect and had a well cultured mind. She was the wife of 
John H. Shannon, who preceded her to the grave only a few 
months. Was the mother of nine children, Emma E., Robert 
T., William A., John F., Mary A., Dicey L., Cornelia C, 
Frances L. 

1, Emma E. married Thomas N. Neal. Children, Emma, 
Lula. Mother and children are dead. 

2, Robert T. dead. 

3, William A. married Frances Davis. Children, Floy 
Davis, Leith, Willard. 

4, John F. married Eugenia Martin. Children, Hoy Fey, 
Claire, Mary Neal. 

5, Mary A. married D. W. Hutcherson. Children, Jessie, 
Clara, Bermah, Leon, Rhodie, Eunice, Florence. 

6, Dicey L. married Thomas Caruthers. Children, Harold, 
Horace, Charles. 

7, Cornealia C. married Early C. Carson. Children, Ralph, 
Homer, Bernard, Lillian, Woodfin, Julia, Geraldine, Louise. 

8, Frances L. married Thomas M. Patterson. Children, 
Carl Jewill, Wayne Maurice. 

9, Died an infant. 

For all records of this Hne the writer is indebted to Mrs. 
Cynthia Shannon and her noble son, Mr. Wm. A. Shannon. 



200 THE PEDENS OF AMEHICA. 

VI., Alexander. No records. 

VII., Samuel. Died in boyhood. 

VIII., Katherine. 

IX., Mary. 

X., Margaret. 

XL, Nancy. 

XII., Jane. 

XIII., Elizabeth. 

This closes the incomplete house of Mary. For informa- 
tion received the author is under many obligations to the fol- 
lowing members of this family : H. W. Cely, H. Alexander, 
T. P. Baker, J. W. Baker, Cynthia A. Shannon, Mary E. Ford. 



CHAPTER XII. 



HOUSE OF JAMES. 



"They were men of renown — like lions so bold, 
Like lions undaunted, ne'er to be controlled ; 
They were bent on the game they hand in their eye. 
Determined to take — to conquer or die." 

The historian of this line is Hon. John R. Harrison, who 
will appear in his place among his family, as he seems quite 
unwilling to allow a sketch of his busy Ufe inserted at the 
beginning of this chapter. His picture also appears among 
the committees of the reunion, over which assemblage he pre- 
sided with easy, graceful dignity, as he has presided over 
legislative bodies he was quite at home in the chair. His 
noble head and face speak for his character and mental en- 
dowments of a high order. With this brief statement the 
writer is forced to be content. 

On her own responsibility she introduces a traditional and 
historical account of the founder of this house, both from 
the reminiscences of her grandmother and letters of Dr. G. B. 
White, of Chester, S. C, who is well posted in the history of 
that county, and whose veracity needs no further vouchers 
than his word. 

James Peden, eldest son of John Peden and "Peggy" Mc- 
Dill, was born, as all the other children of this couple, in Ire- 
land, coming to America with his family about 1768-1770. 

There seems to be a divided opinion as to the mother of 
this house, one statement is that her name was Mary Brown, 
another that she was a sister of the wife of John Hemphill, 
the founder of the Hemphill family, who was Mary Adair. 
This cannot be true as the writer has the Hemphill denial, 
also the statement that none of the Adair sisters married 
Pedens. The best solution offered is that she was a sister of 
John Hemphill. Her name was Mary. If, however, the 
theory of Mary Brown is correct there is connected with the 



202 THE PEDE'NS OF AMERICA. 

life of the Scottish poet Robert Burns this fact : His mother, 
Agnes Brown, had a sister who went to Ireland with her 
brothers along with the Duke of Hamilton to his possessions 
there, and perhaps this was the wife of James Peden. Agnes 
Brown was born about 1740. The writer, for several reasons, 
inclines to the belief that she was Mary Hemphill. 

James Peden was a member of the Provincial Congress 
from Chester District during the administration of the last 
Royal Governor of South Carolina( this is traditional). Also 
the following statement is from Dr. G. B. White and Mr. Jas. 
Hemphill, of Chester, S. C. : 

"James Peden was a member of the South Carolina legis- 
lature which called the constitutional convention which rati- 
fied the United States Constitution. (The writer has heard 
that he objected to the lack of religion in this famous docu- 
ment.) There is a joke too on the earnest countryman. It 
seems that he, with others, went to call upon the then gov- 
ernor and seeing him arrayed in full dress, powder, rufifles 
and other gorgeous apparel, being a plain man and punctili- 
ously neat, remarked to the governor, T see Your Excel- 
lency is of the same calling as myself (a miller), referring to 
the powder which had not been properly brushed from his 
dress. This created great merriment. Reading between 
lines, it was a reproof to the chief magistrate of a newly inde- 
pendent state. Anyway the powder went out of fashion very 
soon." 

A regiment of Whigs was raised in Chester early in 1775, 
and there is no doubt that James Peden and at least two of 
his sons were among them. "Officers : Colonel, Daniel 
Smith ; Captains, Thos. Hemphill, Robt. Patton, Thos. Lytle, 
John McDowell, Jos. White, and others." — Draper's King's 
Mountain. 

James Peden did not come to Fairview for some time after 
the War of Revolution. He is among the early eldership of 
that church and with Mary, his wife, rests in the rock-walled 
God's acre at Fairview. He is the founder of the Chester 



THE PEDENS OE AMERICA. 203 

Pedens. With a few clippings from letters from other mem- 
bers, the historian is strictly followed, 

James Peden migrated from Chester ; buried at Fairview 
church; son of John Peden and "Peggy" McDill. James 
Peden's wife was named Mary. Their children were: ,1. Wil- 
ham; II., John; III., Jennie; IV., James; V., Thomas; VI., 
Mary. 

I., William Peden married and emigrated to the State of 
Illinois about 1830 (on account of their views of slavery). 
We have no further information in regard to him. It is sup- 
posed that his family are there still. 

II., John Peden married and also went to Illinois at the 
same time. Information is that he had a very large family. 
We have had no communication with these families since the 
Civil war. 

III., Jennie Peden, the eldest daughter, married Anthony 
Savage. Anthony Savage came to South Carolina a young 
man, from County Antrim Ireland, as a school-teacher. He 
taught for some time. He married Jennie Peden then turned 
his attention to farming. Became an elder in Fairview church 
(Presbyterian). Was recognized as a good business man. 
Consulted on business matters by the communtiy. He set- 
tled near the church and lived to be old. His wife Jennie lived 

to be years old. She died in 1848. (He laid aside the 

clerk's pen, and laid his mantle on the shoulders of James 
Dunbar, 1848, as clerk of the session of Fairview church.) 
They had four children, Alexander, James, Eleanor, Marga- 
ret. 

Alexander Savage married Rosa Morton (gradndaughter 
of Jane Morton-Morrow). Settled near Fairview and re- 
mained here for a number of years. They left South Caro- 
lina about 1830, and when the State of Mississippi was 
opened up for settlers he, with his entire family went to Tish- 
omingo County, where he settled and lived for a number of 



204 THE PEDBNS OF AMBHICA. 

years. Died and left a large family. When the civil war 
broke out we know that two of his sons were in 22nd Missis- 
sippi Regiment, Adams' Brigade, Loring's Division. John 
Savage, the eldest of the two, survived the war and passed 
through here on his way home after the surrender. Robert 
Savage was a lieutenant in the 22nd Mississippi Regiment. 
Passed through the entire war unhurt until the battle of 
Smithfield, N. C, a few days before Johnson's surrender, 
when he was killed and buried on the field. Other members 
of the family were residing in or near Corinth, Miss., when 
last heard from. 

Eleanor Savage married John McDowell Harrison. Their 
children were : William Alexander, James Anthony, Pinckney 
McDowell, Jane T., Mary E., Maggie I., John Ramsey, Sarah. 

John McDowell Harrison, my father, settled on Raeburn 
Creek, near Fairview church. 

William A. Harrison married Elizabeth Bryson Campbell. 
Settled near Fairview and practiced medicine there thirteen 
years. Is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. 
Moved from Fairview to Reidville, in Spartanburg County, 
and is still practicing medicine. William Harrison's children 
are, William Campbell, Edward Bryson, John Hunter, James 
Wade, Elizabeth, Nora. 

William Campbell Harrison married Emma Waldrop, and 
their children are, Maggie, William Sloan, Norman Alexan- 
der, Lloyd Bratton, John Ramsey. Settled near Reidville, 
S. C. 

Edward Bryson Harrison married Hannah Amanda Smith. 
Live in Reidville, S. C. Their children are, Eugene Scott, 
Robert Perry, Mary Elizabeth, William Herbert, Edward 
Campbell, Annie Nora. 

John Hunter Harrison married Sidney Gwinn. Settled on 
North Saluda river, near Marietta, S. C. Their children are, 
Gerard, Ralph. 

James Wade Harrison married Linnie Smith, of Rockton, 
Fairfield County, S. C. Lived there a number of years then 



THE PEDENS OF AMEKICA. 205 

moved to Columbia, S. C. Their children are, William Alex- 
ander Smith, Elizabeth, James Wade. 

Elizabeth Harrison died when twenty-three years of age. 
Never married. 

Nora Harrison died when about eight years old. 

James Anthony Harrison was a civil engineer, but did not 
practice his profession. He entered the mercantile business 
when quite a young man in Augusta, Ga., where he remained 
a short, while. From there he went to Charleston, S. C, 
where he continued in the mercantile business until driven 
away by an epidenmic of yellow fever, when he located at 
Laurens, S. C, and engaged with Pinckney McD. Harrison, 
his brother, in the mercantile business. They were thus en- 
gaged when the war between the States commenced. He 
entered the Confederate army as a member of Company A., 
3rd South Carolina Volunteers (State Guards name of Co.). 
Remained in that company fifteen months when he was 
transferred to the Pedee Light Artillery, attached to Mc- 
Gowan's Brigade. He was killed at Fredericksburg, Va., at 
a point on the battlefield known as Hamilton's Crossing, on 
the 13th Dec, 1862. His death was caused by the concussion 
of a shell passing so near the heart as to result in death 
almost instantly ; the the skin was not broken ; he bled slight- 
ly at the nose and ears and died on the field. 

Pinckney McDowell Harrison resided on the old home- 
stead, near Fairview, until his brother, James, entered the 
mercantile business at Laurens, when he went to that place 
and entered business with him. He was thus engaged when 
the war came on ; volunteered in the service of the Confede- 
rate States in Company A., 3rd South Carolina Volunteers 
(States Guard Co. name) in which company he remained for 
about fifteen months, when he was transferred to the Pedee 
Light Artillery and was killed at the battle of Fredericksburg, 
Va., at a point on the field of battle known as Hamilton's 
Crossing, on the 13th of Dec. 1862. His right leg having 
been shot off near the hip-joint by a cannon ball. He lived 



2o6 THE PEDBNS OF AMERICA. 

about five hours after he was shot. Was carried to the field 
hospital off the scene of battle before death. 

James A. and Pinckney McD. Harrison were neither mar- 
ried. They were in business together ; entered the service of 
their country together ; during their term of service they each 
received a furlough of fifteen days which they spent at the old 
homestead together in the spring of 1862. They were en- 
gaged in all of the battles in which their commands partici- 
pated in Virginia. They were never wounded until the fatal 
day, Dec. 13, 1862, when both gave up their lives for the 
cause of the Confederacy. Their bodies were brought home 
and buried in one grave in Fairview church cemetery, where 
they now repose beneath the shade of a magnolia planted by 
affectionate hands. 

Jane T. Harrison, the eldest daughter, was never married. 
She lived a life of unselfish usefulness and died respected by 
all who knew her. Her death occurred Sept. 2, 1899, and she 
is buried in Fairview cemetery. 

Mary E. Harrison married Wm. Thos. Austin. They set- 
tled near Fairview. Wm. Thos. Austin volunteered in Hamp- 
ton's Legion in the late war. She left no children. Both 
husband and wife are buried at Fairview.- 

Margaret I. Harrison married John C. Bailey, of Green- 
ville, S. C. She lived in Greenville city. Mother of three 
sons, John C. Bailey, Jr., William Price, James Pinckney 
(twins). She died May 7, 1873, and is buried in Fairview 
cemetery. 

John C. Bailey, Jr., was educated at the South Carolina 
Military Academy, in Charleston, S. C, and afterwards in the 
Theological Seminary at Princeton, New Jersey. He entered 
the ministry of the Presbyterian church and is now pastor of 
Summerton and Wedgefield churches. In 1900 he was mar- 
ried to Mabel Cantey. One son. 

William Price and James Pinckney Bailey died soon after 
their mother and are buried by her side at Fairview. 

John R. Harrison was born January ist, 1845. He left 
school to enter the Confederate army. Was a member of 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 207 

Company H., Palmetto Battalion of Light Artillery where he 
served for more than one year. Thence he was transferred to 
Company I., i6th South CaroHna Volunteers, Gist's Brigade, 
Army of Tennessee. He was made a sergeant in his com- 
pany and surrendered with it at Greensboro, N. C. Gen. 
Joseph E. Johnson being in command. After this he returned 
to Fairview and engaged in farming. Elected to the legis- 
lature from Greenville County, S. C, in 1880 and served six 
years, having been elected three times. He was then elected 
to the Senate from Greenville County where he served for 
four years. During that time was elected and served as Pres- 
ident pro tem. of the Senate and presided over that body in 
the absence of the Lieutenant Governor. In 1896 he was 
candidate for Governor, but was defeated by W. H. Ellerbee. 
Since that time he has not served in any public office. Was 
presiding officer at the Peden Reunion at Fairview, S. C. 
John R. Harrison and Lillie Helen Adams were married in 
November, 1869, and lived near Fairview, on the old home- 
stead. His wife died May 20, 1872. He has never married 
again. Has two children, Mary E., born A.ugust 29, 1870, 
and Lillie H., born May 10, 1872. 

Mary Ellen Harrison married Angus McQueen Martin, of 
Marion County, S. C, October 24, 1894. She has three 
children, Mary Helen, born October 22, 1895 ; John Harrison, 
born November 10, 1897; Janie, born March 21, 1901. 

Lillian Helen Harrison is not married and is living with 
her father. 

James E. Savage lived near Fairview church (old Alex- 
ander place). Married Malinda Baker. Two children were 
born to them, John Lindsay Savage, Ana J. James E. Sav- 
age and his wife lived to an old age. She having lived to see 
all her dear ones laid away and for a very brief time was alone 
in the world as the last representative of her immediate fam- 
ily. He was an eminent Christian, a useful citizen, an elder in 
Fairview church for many years. Both are buried in Fair- 
view cemetery. 



2o8 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

John L. Savage engaged in mercantile business at Green- 
ville when quite young. Afterwards at Fork Shoals, Pelzer, 
Piedmont and Williamston, where he died in 1897. He was 
twice married. First to Mattie Anderson, who died shortly 
afterwards. Then to Jeannette Root, of Anderson, S. C, 
who is still living and resides in Anderson, S. C. 

Ana J. Savage was never married. Died at Williamston, 
1896, and is buried with her parents at Fairview. 

Margaret F. Savage was never married. She lived all her 
life on the old homestead and died at a ripe old age. Is also 
buried at Fairview. The Savage line in Greenville, S. C., is 
extinct. 

IV., James Peden married Margaret Alexander, and lived 
near Fairview, on headwaters of Raeburn Creek, where they 
resided for a number of years. Had three daughters born 
there : Eveline, Teresa, Elizabeth. Moved from Fairview, S. 
C, to Decatur, Ga., where they died. Teresa and Elizabeth 
never married. Both died of fever. Eveline remained with 
the family until the old folks died then married a Gordon, of 
Bartow County, Ga. Became the mother of nine children. 
After the civil war they moved to Texas. No further infor- 
mation of her. 

v., Thomas Peden, of Chester County, married Sarah Mc- 
Calla. Settled and lived near Old Catholic church, in Chester 
County. Children five, Mary, Peggy, David, Ginnie, Cath- 
erine. His wife died and he married his first cousin, Isabella 
Peden (house of William). Four children, William A., Sarah 
B., Belle T., Emily Teresa. 

Mary Peden married James Harbison, Esq. He only lived 
about one year. She then married John Brown, of York 
County, S. C. No children were born to them. 

Peggy Peden married William Hood and moved to Ala- 
bama. She had one daughter, Sarah. All of this family died 
before 1861. 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 209 

David McCalla Peden married Margaret Hood. Lived on 
Rocky Creek, near the old home. He died April 17, 1894, 
aged seventy-eight years, and is buried at Catholic. Their 
children are, Thomas, EHzabeth, Andrew. 

Thomas Peden married Sallie McCreary. Children five, 
Martha B., Judson McCreary, Margaret H., David McCalla, 
Wm. H. Martha died when about two years old. His wife 
died and he then married her sister, Irene McCreary. 

Elizabeth died October 31, 1866. Is buried at Catholic. 

Andrew Peden, the second son never married and lives 
with his mother at the old homestead, near Catholic church, 
Chester County, S. C. 

Ginnie Peden married Wm. Storment and lived also near 
CathoHc church. Her children were, Sallie, Thomas, Mary. 
They moved to Mississippi and died. The children are now 
living at Burnt Mills, Miss. 

Catherine married Turner McCrory, of Fairfield. No 
children. 

William Alexander Peden never married. Was a talented 
musician. Went into the Confederate service in the First 
South CaroUna Calvalry. Was promoted to captain. Made 
commissary, serving in that capacity until the close of the war. 
He was chairman of the Board of Commissioners of Chester 
County at the time of his death, 1874. 

Sarah Brown Peden married Rev. David Pressly, of the 
Associate Reform Church. Went to Starkville, Miss., and 
died January 17, 1883, leaving five children, Thomas Peden, 
Ehzabeth Hearst, Wilham Cornelius, Isabella Teresa, Sunie 
]\Iontgomery. 

Rev. Thomas P. Pressly, Troy Tenn. Now Hving with his 
second wife. Has five children. 

Ehzabeth H. (Pressly) Young, wife of W. A. Young, Ato- 
ka, Tenn. Five childen. 

William C. Pressly, M. D., has a wife and four children. 

Isabella Teresa Pressly. Unmarried. Home with Rev. 
Thos. P. Pressly. 



2IO THE PEDBNS OF AMERICA. 

Sunie M. (Pressly) Smith, wife of W. A. Smith, Troy, Tenn. 
Two children. 

Isabella T. Peden married Wm. Douglas. Had one child 
named Janie Brice. Fairfield County, S. C. 

Emily T. Peden married J. W. Blake. Moved to Prescott, 
Arkansas. Mother of five children. 

VI. Mary Peden, youngest child of James Peden, mar- 
ried John Stennis, of Fairview. Died childless and sleeps at 
Fairview after a long pilgrimage. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



HOUSE OF JANE. 



"Such was this daughter of the Emerald isle, 
Herself a billow in her energies 
To bear the bark of others' happiness, 
Nor feel a sorrow 'til their joy grew less." 

There has been little of romance in these annals of a race 
proverbial for plain, practical common-sense, even in their 
love affairs, until one wonders if they did any love-making at 
all. Possibly they did not tell the younger generations of 
these episodes in their lives, regarding them with the sober 
eyes of middle-age as too frivolous for young ears. Yet the 
historian would like occasionally to record a romance like 
that one in Chester, of the young emigrant who, when he 
heard that his beloved Mary had arrived from the old world 
and was nearing him left his oxen attached to the plow, 
standing among the corn, tossed away his Scotch bonnet of 
homespun and ran miles under a burning Southern sun to 
meet and greet the dear lass after the long years of toil and 
waiting. They were happy ever after, as the story goes, and 
well they deserved to be. However, this is not Peden his- 
tory. 

The writer cannot repress the desire to chronicle the first 
love story of bonny Jennie Peden, as she heard it in the long 
ago from dear lips now dumb. Turn back the leaves of Scot- 
land's history to the days of chivalry and daring; recall 
medieaval knights and stately ladies, and none shine with 
brighter luster than the illustrious house of Morton, staunch 
adherents of country and king through all the early battles 
royal of that bloody land against Saxon, Norman, Dane. 
The house of Morton furnished brave knights as leaders, 
lances and archers to swell Scottish armies ; bold crusaders 
with the Bruce, Douglass, Dunbar, Mar, Murray, Hamilton 
and others. The last Earl died on the scaffold in 1575-1580. 



212 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

The title became extinct but not the family. During the 
next two or three centuries their fortunes varied. They were 
divided in religion, Papist and Protestant. About 1760, for 
political reasons the eldest son of Morton became desirous 
of getting rid of his younger brothers, and the plan of ban- 
ishing them to the West Indies and selling them into slavery 
occurred to him, so he proceeded to carry this atrocious plot 
into execution, but was foiled by the escape of the boys. At 
the same time a similar scheme was brewing in the house of 
Dunbar, the younger brother being Protestant. 

One dark, stormy night the three met on the rocky coast by 
appointment, there they found faithful Sandy McRee, hus- 
band of the old housekeeper of the Dunbars, who had warned 
the lads that morning that -the ship which was to bear them 
away was at anchor not far away. These lads, the Mortons, 
John and James or David, both tall and slenderly built, while 
James Dunbar was stout and broad shouldered, all were 
wrapped in shepherd plaids and wore no insignia of birth, 
their tracks had been covered by the softly falling snow, but 
a new danger threatened, for the coast guard hailed them, 
the lads were slow to speak so old Sandy replied, "They be 
shepherd laddies to my Lord of Hamilton that I am fetching 
over 'til him the night." The guard made, some remarks on 
the weather and time of night, but Sandy was quick of wit. 
"Shepherd lads dinna min' a skip like this, and my Lord is in 
haste lest the sheep get lost in the snaw." So he walked on 
and they were suffered to depart with the parting thrust, "My 
Lord of Hamilton methinks is choice in the build of his shep- 
herds, soldier lads belike." Sandy rowed slowly until out of 
earshot then seeing some commotion on the coast gave 
each lad an oar and they rowed with speed toward Ireland. 
A swift boat followed and as it neared Sandy's the boys threw 
off their plaids and swam ashore, so old Sandy was alone and 
was so deaf to all questions that he was left to himself to fol- 
low the lads, but they never met on earth. After wandering 
all night in the cold and dark they took refuge in one of 
those treacherous peat-bogs. John Peden found them, took 



THE PEDENS OF AMEEICA. 213 

them to his humble home warmed and fed them, but the 
younger Morton "fell ill of a lung fever" and "Pegg}'" Mc- 
Dill nursed him with her honely skill. The natural sequence 
was he had fallen in love with bonny "J^iini^ Peden" so he 
learned the trade of weaving along with the sons of Peden, 
and cast all his high-born pride away, wooed and won the 
Scotch-Trish lassie in truly noble fashion. 

The Morton records are very incomplete. The four sons 
were all, except William perhaps, in the Revolutionary army. 
John was with Capt. Samuel Mcjunkin at the beginning of 
the war. With other leaders later. He was a daring soldier 
all through. James was with Capt. Wm. Smith, of the Spar- 
tan Regiment, while David was with Capt. Roebuck. Both 
Captains Mcjunkin and Roebuck became majors. 

The birth dates of these children were I., John, 1756; IL, 
James, 1758; III., David, 1760: IV., William, 1762; V., Mary, 
1764. Whether Jane had married her second husband, Sam- 
uel Morrow, before the emigration or not history is silent. 
It is also a disputed question whether her first husband was 
named James or David, and opinion is divided. The writer is 
under the impression that James is correct. As the Morton 
records have not reached her can give detached notes wher- 
ever attainable. 

I., John Morton. All trace is lost and it is presumed that 
he left Fairview about 1825-1833. There are no records to be 
found of this period and there was some bitterness among 
the clan on the question of slavery, which led to several 
Pedens seeking homes in the Northwest territory and per- 
haps he went with them. There is no tradition as to whom 
he married. All is lost. 

II. , James Morton married Mary Montgomer\% of Spar- 
tanburg County. The Montgomerys are a proud old family, 
tracing their ancestry back to the old Norman days "before 
the coming of Rolfe." French history is full of their knightly 



214 THE PEDENS OP AMERICA. 

deeds, and in Scotland the Morton and Montgomery were 
brothers-at-arms. 

III., David Morton was twice married. First to Penelope 
White, who did not Uve long. She had no children. He then 
married Mary Jamison. No children were born to them. A 
memorial to David Morton appears elsewhere as one of the 
rare characters of a rude age. 

IV., William Morton, too, is lost and no trace has been 
found. They all lived at Fairview several years then eme- 
grated. 

v., Mary Morton, the only daughter of this family, is also 
lost even to tradition, and only her name remains, and there 
are those who say she never existed at all. 

From the oldest church book at Fairview is taken the fol- 
lowing: "Nov. 1835. Dismissed regularly four families, Wm. 
]\Iorrow, four in number ; James Morton, six in number ; 
Wm. Armour, two in number ; Jas. McVickers, two in num- 
ber. Anthony Savage, clerk session." 

"The Peden who married the Morton (James or David) 
was my great-grandmother. Her son, James Morton, was 
my grandfather. Of the families of her other sons I know 
nothing 

"My father was Dr. Josiah Wilson, Morton, the youngest 
of nine children, all of whom are dead. The living children 
of those nine are few. Wilson Morton, of Mississippi; Mrs. 
Mary Turner, of Texas ; children of John Washington Mor- 
ton. Dr. J. W. Morton, of Somerville, Alabam, son of Mont- 
gomery Morton who married Rebecca Peden, daughter of 
John Thomas Peden, son of Alexander, the six son of John, 
the father. Their daughter Rosa married Alexander Sav- 
age, of the house of James. J. D. Morton, Cameron, Texas, 
son of Harvey. Mrs. Jane Wright, Brownwood, Texas, and 
Miss Mary Savage daughter of Mrs. Rosa Morton Savage, 



THE PEDBNS OF AMERICA. 215 

and five of us, Mrs. E. M. Wise, Waxahachie, Texas ; Mrs. 
C. M. Lyon, Lancaster, Texas ; A. H. Morton, Prairieville, 
Texas ; Mrs. John W. George, Oak Cliffe, Texas ; Miss 
Emma Morton, Lancaster, Texas. (The inference is that 
five of the children of James Morton were, John Washington, 
Robert Montgomery, Harvey, Rosana, Josiah Wilson. They 
were all born in Greenville County, S. C.) 

"My father, Josiah Wilson Morton, was born near Fair- 
view, Greenville County, S. C. Left there for Tennessee 
when nine years old. Married Jane Alexander in 1847, ^"^ 
afterwards moved to Mississippi. Came to Texas in 1856 
and died February 17, 1898. 

(Signed) "Emma Morton." 

The date of Jane Morton's marriage with Samuel Mot- 
vow is unknown. There were five Morrow children : L, Sam- 
uel ; IL, Robert ; IIL, William ; IV., Thomas ; V., Janet. The 
last named died at nineteen years and sleeps at Fairview, S. C. 
There is some discrepancy in narnes of the Mortons and Mor- 
rows ; the names William and David occur in each (on one 
record) and some of the Morrow family say that it was Robert, 
not Maj. Samuel Morrow, who married Jane Peden Mor- 
ton. Maj. Samuel Morrow was born in Baltimore County, 
Maryland, 1760; his father was also named Samuel, and as 
Jane Peden was born about 1738- 1742, their ages are too 
different. Was Maj. Samuel Morrow her son? The Morrow 
records have not yet arrived ; perhaps the historian will ex- 
plain, but in case he does not send in records in time will 
copy from the old church book : 

"Robert Morrow and his two sons, Samuel and Thomas, 
and their families moved to Mississippi (Alabama). Regu- 
larly dismissed March 18, 1817. 

"1833. Wm. Morrow is mentioned as one of a committee 
to raise the pastor's salary. 

"1835. James Morrow unites with the church; also the dis- 
missal of Wm. Morrow and his family, three in number." 



2i6 THE PEDENiS OF AMERICA. 

"My father was the oldest of ten brothers. He was born 
near Fairview church September 22, 1799. The entire family 
came to Alabama in 1818. At or about the same time three 
brothers of my grandfather (Robert Morrow), Samuel, 
David, William or Laurens, came from South Carolina and 
settled near Sommerville, Tenn. Thomas, the other son, 
who went to Texas in 1856- 1857, came too. 

"Jane Peden and her husband, Samuel Morrow, are buried 
in North Alabama, near Somerville. They lived with my 
grandfather until they died. 

■'The war record of the Morrows is splendid. There were 
twenty Morrows, all first cousins, on the Confederate side, 
besides a daughter's son named Harris. 

(Singed) "R. B. Morrow." 

L, Samuel Morrow married his first cousin, Katie Peden, 
(house of Samuel). 



CHAPTER XIV. 

HOUSE OF TIHOMAS. 

The question of the time and manner of Peden emigration 
has never been fully settled. The tradition in the lTf>use of 
Thomas differs from that coming down through the other 
houses. Which one is true will only be revealed "when the 
leaves of the judgment books unroll," when this immense clan 
gathers before the great white throne in a solemn and end- 
less reunion of joy. 

Thomas Peden, the founder of this line seems to have been 
a man of great force of character ; firm, unyielding in princi- 
ple, willmg to do, to dare, to die, for what he believed to be 
right. He was free from sectarian or creed prejudices as is 
proven in Howe's History of the Presbyterian Church in 
South CaroUna. As a soldier, patriot, citizen he was brave, 
loyal and strictly law abiding, yet never following blindly the 
leading of any man ; alway his own master. In religion a 
devout Presbyterian ; in politics an ardent Whig. 

His place on the family roll is ten years later than his 
brother James. If other children, save his sister Jane, came 
between they must have died young. 

Thomas Peden was among the pioneers of what is now 
Spartanburg County, S. C, preceding his father and brothers 
some years. This county was part of the 96th district, and in 
1774 was called the "Spartan" by Wm. Drayton, who ex- 
claimed with enthusiastic admiration : "Truly a Spartan peo- 
ple !" 

The historian of this house, Mr. Amzi W. Gaston, lives on 
the tract of land granted first by King George, 1772, and 
later regranted by the new government to the then incum- 
bent, whose record as a Whig soldier does not admit of ques- 
tion. As before stated, the exact location of the first cabin 
home is lost, for there is not a tree, or stone left, nothing but 
the hillside and overgrown spring. It will be pleasant for the 



2i8 THE PEDENS OF AMEKICA. 

clan to know that this sacred spot has never left the posses- 
sion of the race planted there. 

John Peden, his wife, with their son Thomas and four 
youngest sons, and Morton grandsons, all of whom were 
mere lads, came together to the Tyger settlements, whether 
from Ppnnsylvania or Charlestown tradition is silent. They 
settled near Nazareth church ; while it is now believed that 
James and his sisters, with their families found their first 
homes in the land of the Quaker, Thomas came direct to 
South Carolina. 

Thomas married Elizabeth White, and his nephew, David 
Morton, of blessed memory, married her youngest sister, 
Penelope. "These wives were of the staunch old Revolution- 
ary Whig stock." Around the name of White clusters mem- 
ories of many a brave, daring deed; it shines on the fame- 
roll of Upper South Carolina with deathless luster. Hon. 
Hugh Lawson White, of Tennessee, was a nephew of these 
sisters. 

Thomas Peden and his old father were diven ofi by Tories 
and Indians in the dark days of 1780-1781. Thomas took his 
family to North Carolina for safety, to Iredell County, while 
John, the father, took his wife and a number of grandchildren 
over to Chester. Both then resumed their places in the 
Revolutionary army. In the meantime the youngest sons, 
William, Samuel, Alexander and David were with their re- 
spective leaders among rocks, mountain dens and impena- 
trable swamps. It was a proud boast of the Pedens that they 
had "little to lose therefore had no need of British protec- 
tion." Among the grandchildren was little Peggy, second 
child of Thomas, who remained with them as long as they 
lived, and among her special treasures she held dear a silver 
coin, of about the size of a ten-cent piece, presumably Eng- 
lish, and she kept it during her eighty years sojourn on the 
earth. She gave the historian of this house, A. W. Gaston, 
many incidents of early frontier life ; among others of how 
their wheat was harvested with reap-hooks, or sickles, show- 
ing him how the hooks were held while the reapers tied the 



THE PEDBNS OF AMERICA. 219 

bundles. After things were quieted down they returned from 
North Carolina and settled again within half a mile of their 
former home, or rather its ruins, and reared their large fam- 
ily of children, of whom four were sons and seven were 
daughters. 

This family is not given in order of birth, the names 
of the sons are given first: I., Andrew; II., M. White; III., 
James ; IV., John. The daughters : V., Mary ; VI., Marga- 
ret; VII., Eleanor; VII., Elizabeth; IX., Sarah; X., Jane; 
XI., Nancy. 

I., Andrew, the eldest son, married Jane McConnell. Their 
children : 

I., Rev. Mitchell Peden, a Presbyterian minister. He mar- 
ried Mary Jennings and spent most of his hfe in Mississippi. 
A full sketch of his life work is to be found in a previous 
chapter. Pie was the father of twelve children, only two of 
whom are now living. Several sons died for the Confederate 
cause. One of whom, Joseph Caldwell, fills a hero's grave. 
The surviving son is Rev. W. P. Peden, Baptist minister, who 
married M. J. Hanson. No record of children. The daugh- 
ter is Mrs. E. S. Lee, of whose family the writer has no trace. 

2., Rufus, who married Margaret Narcissa Peden, of the 
same house. Was killed in the civil war, leaving two young 
sons : John M., Rufus, Jr. These appear elsewhere. 

3.. Elizabeth, who married Rev. Arthur Mooney, was the 
mother of a large family. Moved to Mississippi where she 
died. No records save that one son, Church, died bravely for 
the South, 1861. 

4, Jane, who married Amzi W. Gaston. Only one child, a 
son (historian of this house), named for his father Amzi Wil- 
liford ; he however, has been blessed with many sons. He 
says : "My mother was the second daughter of Andrew, the 
eldest son of Thomas Peden. She had only one brother in 
the civil war, Rufus, who gave his life to the cause, leaving a 
young wife and two small sons. Her other brother, Rev. 
Mitchell Peden also lost a son. I have neither brother or 



220 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

sister, and I fought for our beloved South for three long 
years. If I have any regrets they are that I did not fight 
harder; but I now sincerely beUeve it is for the best that we 
did not succeed." 

[Amzie Gaston, like his great grandfather, Thomas Peden, 
stands for purity of church and state, clean politics, good citi- 
zenship, and is an avowed opponent of the the so-called re- 
form in South Carolina. In appearance he is a tall, com- 
manding figure, a typical Norman Gaston, with the steelest, 
bluest, truest eyes of the fearless race.] 

Moreover, he is the father of eight goodly sons and two 
fair daughters. Sons — i, John Williford; 2, Robert White; 

3, Amzi Cason ; 4, James Gordon; 5, Thomas Craig; 6, "Jeb" 
Stuart ; 7, Baird Lamar ; 8, Palmer DeWitt (died in infancy) ; 
9, Morton Reid; io,David Holder. Daughters — i, Fitz 
Hampton, named for the mother of South Carolina's "knight- 
liest leader of them all," Gen. Wade Hampton; 2, Mary 
Elizabeth. 

II., Moses White married his first cousin, Margaret, eldest 
daughter of Alexander, therefore of the house of Alexander, 
Their children were : i, Eliza E. ; 2, A. Wilson ; 3, Rebecca E. ; 

4, T. Jefferson ; 5, James M. ; 6. Munro ; 7, Andrew W. ; 8, 
Robert M. ; 9, Mary A.; 10, David M.; 11, Hugh L. W. 

I, Eliza E. married Alexander Thompson, who was a mem- 
ber of that Thompson family famous in South Carolina his- 
tory from colonial days. Its men have been found in the 
arena of war and the forum of politics. He was twice mar- 
ried, his first wife having been Elizabeth Alexander (house of 
Mary), which includes the elder line ; while the younger be- 
longs to that of Thomas, as both came from the "distaff side," 
or through the mother. The children were: i. White; 2, 
Drayton; 3, Lawson; 4, Thomas; 5, Elizabeth; 6, Margaret; 
7, Rachel i. White served brevely through the entire civil 
war, so also did Drayton. At its close or just before these 
two brave young brothers were brought home to die of con- 



THE PEDENS OP AMERICA. iit 

sumption. Both were members of Company E., Hampton 
Legion. White died on the 22nd day of January, 1865. 

2, Drayton followed him on the 24th day of February, 1865. 
Neither were married. 

3, Lawson came home safely. Married Lou Farmer. Their 
children: L. Grace, Margaret E., Leila White. 

4, Thomas married Earle. No records sent. 

5, Elizabeth married Thomas Babb. Their children: i, 
Drayton ; 2, Homer ; 3, Chalmers ; 4, Lawson ; 5, Paul ; 6, 
Eliza ; 7, Eva. 

1, Drayton Babb married Tribble. No childern. 

2, EHza Babb married Robert Thompson. No children. 

3, Homer Babb married Lidie McKelvey. Two children: 
Annie R., H. Thomas. 

4, Chalmers Babb unmarried. 

5, Lawson Babb married Sue Spencer. One child. 

6, Paul Babb unmarried. 

7, Eva Babb unmarried. ; 

6, Margaret unmarried. 

7, Rachel died young, August 26, 1868. 

2, A. Wilson married Jane Thompson, daughter of Alex- 
ander Thompson, and his first wife, Elizabeth Alexander 
(house of Mary), showing a mixed relationship that will puz- 
zle their numerous descendants. Their children were ten in 
number: i, Elizabeth H. ; 2, Margaret; 3, Hugh Lawson 
White; 4, Alexander Thompson; 5, James F. ; 6, Mary E. ; 
7, William Buist ; 8, John Pickens ; 9, Welthy Ann ; 10, Rox- 

anna. 

1, Elizabeth H. never married. She lives at the old home 
near Fairview. Hers has been one of those long and beau- 
tiful livies. A pure, noble, unselfish character, of generous 
self-sacrifice ; one whose very name deserves to be written in 
living letters of gold. 

2, Margaret, who died unmarried in young womanhood. 

3, Hugh L. W. married Mary McKnight. He was born 
and educated in Greenville County, S. C. Volunteered in 1861, 



222 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

in Company E., Hampton Legion. Served four years. Their 
children are : 

1, Ellie J., who married Edwards. Mother of three 

children: Willie, Hugh, Sara. 

2, Carrie P. unmarried. 

3, Elizabeth H., who married Mitchell, of New 

York. One child, named Albert S. 

4, Wilson McKnight. 

5, Margaret E. who married Harris. One child, 

Genevieve. 

6, Hugh L. W. Jr. 

4, Alexander Thompson, who died leaving a wife and three 
children, who did not long survive him. He was a brave, 
heroic member of Company E., 6th S, C Cavalry, serving 
through the entire war. 

5, James F. married Ella Mosely. Three children : Marga- 
ret, Joseph Thompson (who died young), Lee. 

6, Mary E. died young. 

7, William Buist died. 

8, John Pickens married Emma V. Cunningham. Eight 
children : Janie, Eva H., Cora, Roxanna, Edgar , Eliza, Jessie, 
the last not named. 

9, Wealthy Ann married J. L. Haynes, Three children: 
Annie, Norman, Guy. 

10, Roxanna married Olin B. Talley. One child Eliza N. 

3, Rebecca Elvira married Silas M. Mooney. Eight child- 
ren : I, Alexander; 2, John William; 3, Margaret Ann; 4, 
Sarah Jane; 5, Mary Eliza; 6, Nancy Elizabeth; 7, James 
Arthur ; 8, David M. 

1, Alexander Mooney laid down his Hfe for the "lost cause." 
Unmarried. 

2, John W. Mooney married Martha Cousar (house of 
David). Their children are: i, Oliver, of whom there is no 

trace. 2, Alice who married Brady. Four children; 

names not given. 

3, Margaret A. Mooney married Henry Arrington. Their 



THE PEDENS OF AMEKICA. 22J 



• 



children: i, William Thomas; 2, Jane; 3, David; 4, Arthur. 

4, Sarah J. Mooney married J. W. T. Peden, a son of M. W. 
Peden, of Chickasaw County, Miss., (houses of Alexander 
and David). 

5, Mary E. Mooney married C. N. McArthur. Their child- 
ren: I, John; 2, Minnie; 3, James; 4, Jessie; 5, Benjamin; 6, 
Eugene; 7, Henry; 8, Lillian; 9, Mary. 

1, John married Grube. Four children; names un- 
known. 

2, Minnie married Stephen Palmer. Seven children ; names 
unknown. 

No records of 6, Nancy E. ; 7, Jas. Arthur ; 8, David M. 
4, Thomas Jefferson, second son of M. White Peden, mar- 
ried Elizabeth Gray, of Laurens County, S. C. Their children : 

1, Moses White; 2, Charlotte Eliza; 3, Mary Ann; 4, Mar- 
garet Jane ; 5 and 6 (twins) Sarah Emma and Nancy Caroline ; 
7, Martha Rebecca ; 8, Thomas William. 

I, Moses White married Olive Wilder, of Newton County, 
Miss. No children. 

2; Charlotte Eliza married Walker Nash, of Greenville 
County, S. C. No children. 

3, Mary Ann married Wm. K. Stennis (house of Alexander 
and are partly recorded there). Their children: i, John Knox 

2, Anna Ehzabeth ; 3, Margaret Jane ; 4, Rose Ella ; 5, Thomas 
Dudley, and 6, Jas. Henry (twins); 7, Cora Emma; 8, Carrie 
May. 

1, John Knox Stennis married Margaret McNiell (house of 
Samuel). No children. 

2, Anna Elizabeth Stennis married T. W. Adams. Their 
children, three daughters: i, Cornelia; 2, Rosa Stennis; 3, 
Mary Anna. 

3, Margaret Jane Stennis married A. A. Overstreet. Their 
children: i, Carlyle ; 2,DeBerri; 3, Mary. 

4, Rosa Ella Stennis married John D. McNiell (house of 
Samuel). Their children: i, Lillian; 2, Henry Grady; 3, 
Mvrtle. 



224 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

5, Dr. Thomas Dudley Stennis marrried Daisie Hampton. 
No children. 

6, Dr. James Henry Stennis married Regina Davis. No 
childern. These twin brothers are prominent physicians in 
the State of Mississippi. 

7, Cora Emma Stennis married John Little. One child, 
Hampton Stennis. 

8, Carrie May Stennis. Unmarried. 

5, Sara Emma, one of the twin daughters of Thos. Jeffer- 
son Peden, married S. J. Peden of the house of Samuel and 
Alexander. Their children: i, James Thomas; 2, William 
Thaddeus ; 3, Dougal Jefferson ; 4, Marion Wilson ; 5, Archi- 
bald ; 6, John Harrison ; 7, Margaret Elizabeth ; 8, Alexander. 

1, James Thomas. No record. 

2, William Thaddeus married Ella Heath. One child, Lydia. 

6, Nancy Caroline, twin to the above, married James Hugh 
Peden. Same house. Their children: i, Dr. Thomas White; 
2, Mary ; 3, Hugh Coiett. 

7, Martha Rebecca. No record, presumably dead or un- 
married. 

8, Thomas William, the youngest of Thomas Jefferson 
Peden's children, and writer of these records, married Nannie 
Arlette Cook, of Noxubee County, Mississippi. They have 
no children. 

5, James M., the third son of M. White Peden. never mar- 
ried. 

6, John Munro, the fourth son of M. White Peden, married 
Esther Baker (house of David). Their children: i, Eleanor 
Narcissa; 2, Whitner; 3, Moses White; 4, James Hugh. 

I, Eleanor Narcissa married Rufus Peden and in this mar- 
riage were united the houses of Thomas, Alexander and 
David, Rufus being a son of Andrew, the eldest son of this 
house, this family should be properly recorded under Andrew, 
but instead are placed here. Their children, two sons : i, John 
Munro ; 2, Rufus, Jr. 

I, John Munro married Mary J. Kimmel. Their children: 
I, James Rufus; 2, Joseph Whitner; 3, Eleanor Esther; 4, 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 225 

Ora May; 5, Mary Anna; 6, Hugh B.; 7, Corrie M. (Since 
the reunion he lost his wife, and has married a second time. 
Wife's name unknown). 

2, Rufus, Jr., died an infant. 

2, Whitner died for the Confederacy. 

3, Moses White married Eliza Carr. Their children: i, 
Anna; 2, Walter; 3, Guy Hugh; 4, EfHe Belle; 5, Julia. 

1, Anna married Trino Lambeth, of Tennessee, two child- 
ren : Laverne, Milton. 

2, Walter married Estelle Waldrop. One child, Walter. 

4, James Hugh married his first cousin, Nancy Caroline, 
already recorded with the family of Thos. Jefferson Peden. 
One of the twin daughters. 

7, Andrew W., the fifth son of M. White Peden, married 
Margaret Knox, of Alabama. Their children: i, James 
Knox ; 2, Margaret Jane ; 3, Catherine Alabama ; 4, Moses 
White ; 5, William Asbel. 

1, Jas. Knox married Elizabeth Lyle. Their children: i, 
Catherine ; 2, Emma, who married a Bradshaw. Mother of 
three children ; names unknown. 

2, Margaret Jane married Leroy Campbell. One child, 
Waldo Emerson. 

3, Catherine Alabama married Joseph Huickle, of Panola 
County, Miss. Two children: i, Margaret; 2, Jodie. 

4, Moses White married Emma Spears. Five children; 
names unknown. 

5, William Asbel married Annie McNiell (house of Sam- 
uel). No further record. 

8, Robert M. Peden, sixth son of Moses White Peden, mar- 
ried Rebecca T. Fowler (same house). Their children: 

T, Margaret A., married J. P. Rogers. Four children. 

2, Nancy, who never married. 

3, James O. A. married Martha A. Rogers. Six children. 

4, John W. married Margaret C. Baker (house of David), 
has six children. 

5, David J. married Margaret P. Bostick. Five children. 

6, Ada V. married FeHx Helms. One child. 



226 THE PEBBNS OF AMERICA. 

7, Alexander B. married Sara Richardson. Ten children, 

8, Cornelia E. married John W. Kyle. Three children. 

9, Rebecca M. married John C. Ray. Eight children. 
ID, Robert M. unmarried. 

(The names of the children were not sent to the regret of 
the historian. The writer is John W. Peden, the fourth child.) 

9, Mary Ann, the third daughter of M. White Peden, mar- 
ried James Thompson, eldest line (house of Mary), where 
they are recorded. 

10, David M., seventh son of M. White Peden, married 
Mary Grifhn. Their children: i, Richard; 2, Margaret; 3, 
Nancy ; 4, David M., Jr. 

I, Richard married, but the name of his wife is unknown, 
and all trace of this family is entirely lost. 

11, Hugh Lawson White, eighth son M. White Peden, lost 
in the civil war. 

All of the sons of M. White Peden who emigrated to Mis- 
sissippi, and several grandsons, served in the Confederate 
army, making brave soldiers. Those giving their lives for 
the lost cause were: from South Carolina, White and Dray- 
ton Thompson, sons of Eliza E., eldest daughter, and A. 
Thompson Peden, son of A. Wilson Peden, eldest son ; from 
Mississippi, Alexander Mooney, John W., Moses W. (sons of 
T. Jefferson Peden), John Knox, a grandson. None of the 
other grandsons were old enough, or else they would have 
been in their places in that cruel war. The names of the 
sons who fought through: T. Jefferson, Jno. Munro, James 
M., Andrew W., Robert M., David M., Hugh L. W. A. Wil- 
son was too old, but aided efficiently. Most of the line of M. 
White Peden are of the Presbyterian creed, while there are a 
few Baptists and Methodists among them. They dwell as 
brethren should in peace and love. 

(Signed) Thomas William Peden. 

HI., John Peden, my father, married Nicey Fowler in 1820, 
settled one mile north of grandfather's place (in Spartanburg 
County, S. C.,); mother died Oct. 11, 1830; father Oct. 14, 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 



227 



1832, leaving five children, three boys and two girls, who 
were kept together and raised by Aunt Margaret Paden (his 
sister). 

My oldest sister, Margaret Paden, married Andrew John- 
son; settled near Cashville, S. C, then moved to Chattooga 
County, Ga., and died May 30, 1848, leaving four children, 
who, with their father, moved to Arkansas. 

My oldest brother, Moses White Paden, moved to DeKabb 
County, Ga. ; taught school a few years, then moved to 
Cherokee County, Ga., and married Rosannah Delaney; had 
two children, boy and girl. In 1857 he went on a visit to 
South Carolina. Died in Spartanburg County, August 16, 
1857. Was buried in the family grave yard on the old home 
place. His wife and children moved to Mississippi. No 
further trace. 

Thomas Paden, my next brother, married Elizabeth John- 
son and moved to Cherokee County, Ga., and died April 6, 
1846; not having lived but a few months in Georgia, leaving 
one child, who, with her mother, moved to Arkansas. No 
further trace. 

Ik 

My youngest sister, Rebecca Paden, married James R. 
Westmoreland. They lived together in Spartanburg County, 
S. C. over fifty years. I had the pleasure of attending their 
golden wedding. 

Rebecca Esque Peden was born Sept. 22nd, 1827. She 
married James R. Westmoreland on November 23, 1842. Re- 
becca was, at the time of marriage, sixteen years and one 
'^^ month old. James R. Westmoreland was, at the time of 
marriage, twenty years and four months old. We were a very 
young couple and had great opposition. Her aunt, who raised 
her, was greatly opposed to our marriage and consequently 
it was for a long time that she would not allow me in her 
house. However, the dear old aunt soon became reconciled 
and in her old age we cared for her until she died. In our 
courtship I might note a lot of amusing experiences, however 
I shall omit them on account of their failing to apply to his- 
tory. We were poor but able to work, and we went to work 



228 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

with a fixed purpose. That purpose was to make a living, 
and I am thankful that we were so blessed as to be able to 
accomplish our purpose and not only that, but to raise a 
family of eight children, some of whom grew to maturity 
and married. One died at thirteen years, two in infancy, 
which made ten in all. 

My oldest son. Dr. Jno. Andy Westmoreland, was born 
Aug. 29th, 1843. Married Margaret Ann Barbara Rush, 
Aug. 31, 1874. Dr. Jno. died very suddenly, on Oct. 31, 1895, 
leaving a widow and five children, two boys and three girls. 

James Ripley Westmoreland, born Oct. 8, 1876. 

Frederick Stroble Westmoreland born Dec. 27, 1877. 

Nannie Peden Westmoreland, born Feb. 14, 1880. 

Goldie Luellen Westmoreland, born Nov. 12, 1882. 

Bettie Barbara Westmoreland, born Dec. 5, 1886. 

My second son, James White Westmoreland, was born 
Aug. 8, 1845. Married Juhan Leonard Dec. 28, 1876. He 
has had five children, but of this number only three are living. 
His children are as follows: Coke Fenner, born Jan. 14, 1881. 
John Peter, died in infancy. Duncan, died in infancy. Mar- 
garet Rebecca, born July 23, 1890. James Walter, born Oct. 

13- 1898- 

My third son, Thomas Peden Westmoreland, born Sept. 

22, 1847, ^nd died at the age of thirteen years . 

My oldest daughter, Nicey Temperance Westmoreland, 
born Aug 16, 1849. Married John Warren Martin April 24, 
1879, and died, after a very short illness, July 11, 1890, leav- 
ing a husband and four children, three girls and one boy. 
Mattie Maude Martin, born April 30, 1880. Freddie Ellora 
Martin, born Oct. 3, 1882. Lena Temperance Martin, born 
Aug. 3, 1885. John Laurens Martin, born Feb. 22, 1890. 

My second daughter, Margaret Westmoreland, born May 
31, 185 1. Married Frank Buist Woodrufif Nov. 16, 1875. He 
has had eight children and of this number four are living. 
William Anderson Woodrufif, born Aug. 18, 1876. Mary 
Amelia, born May 8, 1878; died May 18, 1878. Lillie Lee, 
born March 2, 1880; died May 2, 1890. Nellie Westmore- 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 229 

land, born Feb 12, 1882. Vallie Vance, born July 7, 1884. 
Fiirman Frank, born June 4, 1887; died May 27, 1888. Mag- 
gie Cyrina, born May 27, 1889; died June 15, 1895. Paden 
Esque, born May 14, 1892. 

My third daughter, Mary Jane Westmorelnad, born Feb. 
6, 1854. Married Henry Hardin Arnold on Dec. 20, 1877. 
They have had ten children, all of whom are living, except 
two. They are as follows : Orlando Peden Arnold, born Dec. 
23, 1878. Walter Hardin, born May 5, 1880. Maggie May, 
born Dec. 14, 1881. Roy Othello, born Dec. 31, 1885. Bruce 
Kirkland, born Oct. 6, 1885. Frances Folsom. born Oct. 4, 
1887. Bessie Ruth, born Feb. 25. 1890; died in infancy. 
Temperance Annie Belle, born Oct. 11, 1891. James Ralph, 
born Jan. 18, 1894. John Andy, born Jan. 14, 1896; died in 
infancy. 

My fourth daughter, Lola Esque Lee Westmoreland, was 
born Dec. 23, 1863. Married John Warren Snoddy May 17, 
1881 and died, after a long illness, March 25, 1892, leaving a 
husband and four boys. Oliver Patrick Snoddy, born Feb. 
18, 1884. James Richard, born Aug. 31, 1885. John Martin, 
born June 13, 1887. Warren McCord, born March 17, 1889. 

My fourth son, William Wilks Booth Westmoreland, was 
born May 14, 1870, and married Minnie Elizabeth Woodruff, 
Jan. 3, 1892. They have had five children, but have been 
very unfortunate ; only one of this number is now living, 
Mary Rebecca Westmoreland, born March 12, 1896. 

At the beginning I did not state how Rebecca Esque Peden 
Westmoreland died. On July 25, 1895, she went to Spartan- 
burg to attend to some business (and right here I will state 
that she was a very energetic and also a very fine business 
lady, doing a very extensive dry goods and millinery business 
at Woodruft, S. C), and while talking to Mr. R. T. Beason, 
in front of J. W. Allen's store, she was stricken with apoplexy 
and died very suddenly. 

War record of myself and two sons, John Andy and James 
White Westmoreland. 

I (James R. Westmoreland) went into service Jan. i, 1862, 



230 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

with a company made up from this place (Woodrufif, S. C), 
with Wm. T. Roebuck captain. The company joined the Hol- 
comb Legion. I served in this company for eighteen months ; 
my health failed and was transferred to the calvary, company 
"E." (Capt. James Knight), Col. Aiken's Regiment, Gen. M. 
C. Butler's Brigade and Gen. Wade Hampton's Corps. I 
served here until March 9, 1865, when I was captured near 
Fayetteville, N. C. I was sent to prison at Hart Island, N. Y., 
for three and a half months. When first captured my coat, 
hat and shoes were taken off and burned. I was not given 
anything to eat for five days and made to walk eighteen or 
twenty miles each day, notwithstanding my blistered feet. 
While in New York city it sleeted and I was out in this 
weather from 12 o'clock m. unitl 12 o'clock at night. Came 
so near freezing that I could not walk without help for three 
weeks. For such treatment my religion has not been good 
enough to prompt me to forgive. I was in fourteen fights 
while in service and was so fortunate as not to receive but 
one wound. I was knocked down by a piece of shell. 

Myself and two sons fought the war through and by the 
prayers of a wife and mother the good God shielded us from 
the thousands of bullets that were hurled at us. Not one of 
us was seriously hurt, but all received slight wounds. 

John A. Westmoreland went out in the spring of t86t. J. 
White Westmoreland in the fall of 1861. They belonged to 
Companv "E.," (Capt. H. P. Griffith), 14th Regiment, Col. 
Joseph Brown, McGowan's Brigade and "Stonewall" Jack- 
son's Corps. They were in all the battles that the regiment 
was in : among some of the most important Chancellors- 
ville, Gettvsburg, Second Manassas, Wildernc^-s pnd T-T-^r-^ 
Shoe, at Spotsvlvania. Jno. A. Westmoreland was captured 
near Reames Station, Va., and sent to Point Lookout, where 
he was imprisoned for two months. Afterwards he was ex- 
changed and given a furloufrh. While on his way back to 
duty Lee surrendered. J. White Westmoreland was never 
captured and surrendered with Lee at Appomattox C. H. 

Very sincerely, 

J. R. Westmoreland. 



N 



THE FEDEXS OF AMERICA. 231 

I, (Mark Simpson Paden), now an octegenarian, have been 
married three times. My first wife, Elvira, was a daughter of 
Mark Fowler. She died Sept. 10, 1856, leaving me two 
children, Margaret and James. 

My second wife was a sister of my first, Emma Fowler. 
She died July 17, 1878, leaving me two children, Alice and 
Willie (W. D. Paden, of Atlanta, Ga.). 

Margaret, my eldest daughter, married Osborne Nicholls 
and died March 30, 1878, leaving two children, Ella and 
Willie.    

James, my eledst son, married first a Benson, who died 
some years ago he then married the widow Wilson. No 
children. They live in Woodstock, Ga. 

Alice, my second daughter, married Dr. Samuel Parsons. 
She is the mother of seven children, one of whom died in in- 
fancy. Their names are on the Peden Register. Lucy, Sam, 
Jr., Lillie, Bruce, Grover Cleveland (two are missing). They 
live at Woodrufifs, S. C. 

Willie (W. D.,), my second son, married Maggie Carter, a 
niece of Ex-Governor Northen, of Georgia. They live in 
Atlanta, Ga., and have three children. Dean, Ruth, Carter. 

My granddaughter, Ella Nicholls, married Oscar Benson. 
Has five children. They live in Cobb County, Ga. 

My grandson, Willie Nicholls, married Bertha Holland. 
They have no children, and live in Atlanta, Ga. 

My third wife was Eliza Maroney. There are no children 
to this marriage. 

May God bless you all is the prayer of this one of the 
numerous Peden descendants. 

(Signed) Mark Simpson Paden. 

This prayer falls like a benediction from the venerable 
writer, who was a familiar and revered figure at the Peden 
reunion in 1899. 

IV., James married Lettie McCrey, or McCrary, in North 
Carolina, then moved to Decatur, Ga. They had five child- 
ren, three sons and two daughters, all of whom except the 



232 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

eldest daughter, who married a Chandler and went to Texas 
at the close of the civil war, settled around their father. 
Jane, the other daughter, married a Guess and lives at the old 
homestead. Nothing more could be learned of this line 
though every effort was made by the Peden historian. All 
letters to Pedens in and around Atlanta, except W. D. Pa- 
den, already recorded, met with absolute silence. 

v., Mary or Molhe. 

VI., Margaret, or Peggy. 

VII., Eleanor, or Ella. 

These three were the eldest children of Thomas. The two 
first lived past four-score years of useful spinsterhood, be- 
loved and cherished by their family circle. The last died in 
early womanhood. 

VIII., Elizabeth married her first cousin, John or "Jackie" 
Peden (house of Samuel), where full records are given. This 
family moved to Kemper County, Miss., in 1832, along 
with the venerable Samuel Peden and a large number of Pe- 
den pioneers. 

IX., Sarah married Anthony Pearson and lived out her 
long, useful life near Nazareth church, in Spartanburg 
County, S. C. Her sons were seven, her daughters three. 
Sons: I, James; 2, Jackson; 3, Jefferson; 4. Wilson; 5, 
Thomas ; 6, David ; 7, William F. Of the last named only 
has any record reached the writer. He was a Presbyterian 
minister greatly loved by all who knew him. A powerful man 
physically and menially. It is a source of keen regret that no 
sketch of his useful life and pious example was prepared for 
this volume. A noble man, nobly planned. He rests from his 
labors and his works do follow him, having gone to his re- 
ward a few years ago. The wife, Mrs. E. E. Pearson, and the 
following children survive : i, J. T. ; 2, M. M. ; 3, A. A. ; 4, W. 
G. ; 5, Paul C. 

I, J. T. unmarried. 



\ 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 233 

2, M. M. married S. L. Wilson, a Presbyterian minister. 
Their children are : Frank Pearson, Parks T. 

The daughters of Sarah Peden Pearson were • 
I, Ella who married John Snoddy, of a prominent Spartan- 
burg family from early colonial days. A sketch of the Snod- 
dy family appears in Landrum's History of Spartanburg 
County. 

2, Elizabeth, who married Sampson Bobo, of Mississippi, 
who attained great legal prominence in that State. 

3, Mary, who married John Haddon^ who gave his life for 
the lost cause. 

X., Jane married her first cousin, Robert Peden (house of 
Alexander). They were best known as Robin and Jennie, a 
model couple. Their records are fully given in the house to 
which they belong. 

XL, Nancy, the youngest, married John Fowler. "Like the 
leaves of the forest, when autumn has blown," this large 
family are scattered abroad. Few traces have been found. 
Most of their names are lost even to memory. 

Alexander, the eldest son, went to Florida. Married there. 
No trace of his family. 

Three of the daughters married Pedens thereby drifting 
back in to the ancestral name. 

The Fowler line belongs so mutually to the two houses of 
Thomas and Alexander it was difficult to place impartially 
either way, coming as it does on the "spindle side" of both 
houses. 

Moses T. Fowler, second son, was twice married, first to 
his cousin, Elizabeth Ann Peden, daughter of Robert and 
Jane (houses Thomas and Alexander). He served nine 
months in the S. C. Militia during the civil war, three 
months as first lieutenant, then six as captain of his company; 
was transferred to Company E., Hampton Legion. (This 
company of this famous legion was composed of at least 
two-thirds Peden descendants. Its history is immortal in the 



234 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

South and, like the Light Brigade at Balaklava, the memory 
of its brilHant charges and daring leader grows brighter, not 
dimmer, as the years roll on bearing the legend of heroism. 
The writer has tried in vain to obtain the roster or muster 
roll of this company for insertion but it seems irrevocably 
lost.) To resume, Moses T. Fowler was wounded in the left 
shoulder at Riddle's Shop, Va., and surrendered with Lee, 
passing through the entire time bravely. As history repeats 
itself, he, like John Peden, the father, gave his sons, four in 
number, to the Confederate cause, laying two on the altar of 
his country. He and his wife raised seven children: i, Robert 
A. ; 2, John T. ; 3, J. Wilson ; 4, M. White ; 5, D. Simpson; 6, 
Mary Jane ; 7, E. Nancy. 

1, Robert A. volunteered in Company E., Hampton Le- 
gion. Served as corporal. Was killed at Seven Pines, Va., 
May 31, 1862. 

2, John T., being in Tennessee at that time volunteered in 
the Second Louisiana Regiment, Jackson's Corps. Was in 
several hard battles in Virginia, receiving a slight wound in 
the left hand at the Second Battle of Manasses ; never 
flinched; had it tied up and on with the fight. Also a severe 
wound nearly shattering right elbow during the fatal Chan- 
cellorville, which was "Stonewall" Jackson's last. May 3, 
1868, and the star of the Confederacy began to sink. After 
he recovered use of his arm was transferred to Company E., 
Hampton Legion. Losing his horses was sent home for 
one ; while on the way back the war ended and he did not 
have the pleasure (?) of surrendering with Lee He went to 
Mississippi and there met and married a kinswoman. Serena 
Baker, daughter of Rebecca (Martin) Baker, [her husband 
being Franklin Baker, son of Penelope (Peden) Baker, 
daughter of David Peden, seventh son of John, the father], 
daughter of Janet (Peden) Martin, daughter of Alexander, 
the sixth son of John, the father, thus we see the union of 
three houses, Thomas, Alexander, David. Two of their 
children died young, eight are living: R. Elizabeth, T. Frank- 
lin, Robert W., Moses M., Nancy R., John S., Harris L., 



THE PEDENS OE AMERICA. 235 

Albert T. Of these two are married. R. Elizabeth married 
Samuel A. Snead. Two children : John R., Laura E. T. 
Franklin Fowler married Delpha Pass. All in Texas. 

3, J. Wilson Fowler was only sixteen years old at the out- 
break of the civil war, but volunteered in Company E., 
Hampton Leg-ion. Was highly praised for heroism by his 
commanding offiecers. Was the first man to mount the ene- 
mies breastworks at the First Battle of Manasses, and placed 
in line of promotion, but died of pneumonia at camp Wigfall 
on the Potomac River, Dec. 28, 1861. 

4, M. White FoAyler was serving in Company A., ist S. C. 
Militia at the close of the war. Married Oasa Garrett. Only 
one child, a daughter, Elizabeth Ann, who married Augustus 
Pollard and is mother of six children : Fred H., Martha A., 
Geneva N., Ethel E., Zelemma, Sarah B. All living near 
Simpsonville, S. C. 

5, D. Simpson Fowler married Eliza Gray. One son died 
young, ten children living: Harriet E., Martha J., J. Thos., 
Effie T., David E., George A., Stewart A., Nancy L., H. 
Grady. Of these four are married : Harriet E. married Wm. 
P. Garrett. Three children died young, two are living: W. 
Crayton, Anna R. Martha J. married Olin B. Talley. One 
child dead ; one living, Mary T. Wm. R. Fowler married 

^ Dora Nash. Two children: Ethel M., Robert S. Ef^e T. 
married Carlton Boyd. 

6, Mary J Fowler married Florence L. Garrett, of Missis- 
sippi. Has five children: Henry H., Waddy L., Rosa E., 
Nancy B., Florence T. 

7, Nancy E. Fowler married Anthony Wayne R. Baker, 
brother of John T. Fowler's wife, a son of Franklin Baker 
(house of David) ,and his wife, Rebecca (Martin) Baker 
(house of Alexander) [union of the three houses, Thomas, 
Alexander, David]. One of their children died young. There 
are five living: Beulah M., John Thomas, Samuel R., Wm. 
P., Jesse J. Living near Springtown, Texas. 

Moses T. Fowler's second marriage was to Amanda 
Richards. Ten children: AHce A., Martha C, Wm. P., W. 



236 THE PEDENS OF AlVIERICA. 

Richard, Callie D., Eula L., Jesse L., Walter A., Maggie L., 
Lora B. 

Alice A. married Edward B. Martin. Nine children : James 
L., C. Ellen, Jennie W., E. Luther, Wm. T., Elger B., AUce, 
Mary B., Nannie. Living near Simpsonville, owners of the 
old Morrow homestead. 

Martha C. married Humphrey K. Ezell. Seven children: 
Hettie L., Boyce, Kinsey J., Paul, Nina. Living near 
Winnsboro, S. C. 

Wm. P. Fowler married Minnie Parsons. Three eldest 
children died in infancy. Living: Moses T., Grover C, Wells 
W. Living near Cashville, S. C. 

W Richard Fowler married Maggie L. Harris. Four 
children : Casper, John, Myrtle, Bessie. Home near Fountain 
Inn S. C. 

Callie D. Fowler married Sloan D. Gibson. One child died 
young, Wm. M. Three living: Grace T., J. Earl Lila. 

Eula L. Fowler married Howard Y. Boyd. Three children : 
Fowler R., Pearl E., Ivey. Living near Fairview, S. C. 

Jessie L. Fowler married John B. Boyd. Three children : 
Margaret S., Mary, Annis. Living near Simpsonville, S. C. 

Descendants of Moses T. Fowler: Living, 86; died 16. 
Total, 102. 

(Signed) M. White Fowler. 



CHAPTER XV. 

HOUSE OF WILLIAJVr. 

William is generally accepted as the third son of the 
house of Peden. The exact date of his birth is unknown, but 
the date of his death and age at the time places it about 1749. 
He followed his brothers John and James and preceded 
David and their sister Elizabeth. Like all of the first family 
he was born in Ireland, coming with his father to America, 
according to the best authorities in 1768- 1770. He was a 
brave, daring Revolutionary soldier. A tradition still held 
at Fairview says he was a "large, portly man, fair of counte- 
nance like his mother." For some reason he preferred to 
follow his trade, that of blacksmithing, instead of extensive 
farming, so did not possess as many acres as his brothers. A 
few years ago the remains of his forge were visible. 

His niece, Eleanor Dunbar, stated that he was much shat- 
tered by exposure and hard living during the war, 1776-1783, 
and contracted a bronchial trouble which was never cured. 
She remembered him quite plainly and recalled the conver- 
sations of the four brothers, her father and uncles, in which 
they indulged during the Saturday nights they always spent 
under the roofs of each other alternately. She also described 
his wife, "Aunt Mollie," as a thoroughly domestic body, 
always busy, a famous butter maker and housewife. 

William was with Dan Morgan during the entire war, but 
which his company, or who his captain was, is lost. Tradition 
says he was with Captain Andrew Barry, of the "Tyger Irish" 
in the famous "Spartan Regiment," in which company his 
nephew, John Alexander, was first Heutenant, afterwards 
Major. The brothers were not all together in the same com- 
pany, some were with Capt. Benjamin Roebuck. It is safe to 
assume, however, that the five younger brothers were to- 
gether as they were inseparable in peace and war, and not 
apart from each other more than six days of the week, until 



238 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

death entered their circle and claimed John in 1810. William 
was among the first elders of Fairview church. 

The threads of his line were furnished by his grandson, 
Wm. D. Paden, and grandaughter, Mrs. Mary P. Aughey, 
and great-grandson, Guilford R. Paden, and great-grand- 
daughter, Bettie Williams. 

My grandfather, William Peden, was one of the seven sons 
of John Peden, the emigrant father. He married Mary 
Archer, of Pennsylvania. Died near Fairview, S. C, where 
he rests under the shadow of the Peden monument. On his 
grave-stone these words are inscribed: "Sacred to the mem- 
or}^ of William Peden, who departed this life Dec. 23, 1817. 
Aged 68 years." 

My grandmother moved with my father to Fayette County, 
Tenn., in 1833, and died at my father's house about 1846. 
(This emigration is corroborated by the following from the 
oldest church book now in existence at Fairveiw: "1833. 
Robert W. Peden, Dan Peden, David S. Peden (a brother-in- 
law), and Alexander Peden, with their families, regularly dis- 
missed. (Signed) Anthony Savage, C. S.") 

Their eldest son was, 

I., Robert W. Peden, who died in Tishomingo County, 
Miss., about i860. He married Elizabeth McCalla and left 
three sons and two daughters namely : William Paden, David 
McCalla Paden, and James M. Paden ; the two first named 
died in Missouri. James M. now (1900) lives at Burnt Mills, 
Miss. Mary, their eldest daughter, married William T. Set- 
tle. Both died some years ago leaving one child, Bettie, who 
married John Williams and now lives in luka. Miss. Martha, 
their other daughter, married Elijah McCalla. Both dead. 
No children. 

H., The second son of William, Dan, married Kate Mc-. 
Calla. Both are dead, also all their children, save Robert W. 
Paden. These two wives, Bettie and Katie, were daughters 
of Samuel McCalla, of Chester County, S. C. 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 239 

III., The third son, Alexander, was my father. He married 
Sarah Gardner McCalla, a daughter of David McCalla, of 
Chester, S. C. They left three sons and one daughter: i, 
William D. Paden ; 2, David Ramsey Paden, who died in 
luka, Miss., leaving a wife and three children ; 3, Dr. Thomas 
G. Paden, who now lives at Burnt Mills, Miss.; 4, Mary J., 
the only daughter, married Rev. John H. Aughey. 

William D. Paden (the writer) married Sallie Frierson, and 
has now living two daughters and one son. The daughters 
are, Airs. Lizzie Cross and Mrs. Kate McLane ; the son, Wil- 
liam F. Paden, all of whom live in Cameron, Tex. 

The three daughters of William Peden, my grandfather : 

IV., Isabella, or 'Tbbie," who married Thomas Peden, of 
Chester, S. C, her first cousin (house of James). I know very 
little of their family, only William A. and his sister, Belle. 
(Recorded in house of James.) 

v., Margaret or "Peggy," married her first cousin, David 
S. Peden, (house of Samuel), where her family is placed. 

VL, Mary marrieJ George Tankersley and died in Tisho- 
mingo County, Miss., about the close of civil war. 

(Signed) William Drayton Paden. 

Mary J., the only daughter of Alexander, third son of Wil- 
liam, the third son of John, the father, was married in luka, 
Miss., to Rev. John H. Aughey, a Presbyterian minister, Jan. 
22, 1857. Her daughter, Kate A., born Sept. 3, 1858, married 
Dr. James Walter Ferguson, of West Salem, Wayne County, 
Ohio, Sept. 25, 1884. She died Nov. 23, 1890, leaving one 
child, Mary Aughey Ferguson, born Feb. 22, 1890. 

John Knox Aughey was born in Amsterdam, Ohio, August 
20, 1862; graduated from the medical deperatment of Woos- 
ter University, Cleveland, Ohio, with the highest honors of 
his class in 1883. He died May 19, 1886. 

The third child, Gertrude Evangeline, was born in Livonia, 



240 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

Washington County, Ind., Feb. 12, 1867. She married Dr. 
John H. Stanton, in Chariton, Iowa, June 30, 1894. Her 
daughter, Sarah McCalla Stanton, was born in Chariton, 
Iowa, April 4, 1897. Second child, Jessie Mary, was born in 
Chariton, Iowa, March 3, 1900. 

Rev. John H. Aughey, husband of Mary J. Paden, was 
licensed by Chickasaw Presbytery, Mississippi, Oct. 4, 1856. 
Was born May 8, 1828, so is now seventy-five years of age. 
Has been actively engaged in the Master's service for nearly 
fifty years and can preach regularly every Sunday. Now has 
charge of a congregation in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas. 

(Signed) Mary Paden Aughey. 

Robert W. Peden, eldest son of William, married Elizabeth 
or "Bettie," McCalla. Their children were five: i, William; 
2, James M.; 3, David M. ; 4, Mary; 5, Martha. 

The records of the third son, David M., sent by Guilford R. 
Paden, his son, are as follows : 

David M. Paden was born March 10, 1820; died June 3, 
1868. Moved to Missouri in 1857, and left eight children, 
who were born to him and his wife, Susan E. Settle: i, Mary 
I.; 2, Guilford R. ; 3, J. Frank; 4, Robert M. ; 5, James P.; 
6, Bettie Mc. ; 7, Sarah Jane; 8, Mattie S. 

1, Mary E. married James McKibben. Their children: 
Robert G., William F., James M., Mary J., Emmet B. 

2, Guilford R. married Nora Payson. Their children: 
Frank, Nannie, Bessie, Willie. 

3, J. Frank unmarried. 

4, Robert M. married Amanda Farr. Their children: 
David, Etta, Nora, Eunice, Erma, Naomi. 

5, James P. married Belle Caldwell. Their children: 
Martha, Lizzie, Zella, Walter. 

6, Bettie Mc. No record. 

7, Sarah J. No record. 

8, Mattie S. No record. 

David M. Paden was a ruling elder in Augusta church, also 
his sons James P. and Guilford R., and his son-in-law, James 



THE PEBENS OF AiNIERICA. 241 

McKibbon. I never knew any of the race to go to law. As 
far back as I can remember my kin they were leaders in the 
church. There are at least twenty families of Paden in and 
around Shamrock, Mo., and all possess a high grade of 
morality, and are a truly religious people. 

(Signed) Guilford R. Paden. 

Mrs. Bettie Williams furnishes the following: 
My great-grandfather was William Peden and his wife was 
Mary Archer. Their children were (my grandfather) Robert 
W., Margaret, Dan, Isabella, Alexander, Mary. 

I. .Wife of Robert was Elizabeth McCalla. Their children : 
Mary (my mother), William, David, Josiah, Martha, James. 

II., Margaret married a relative whose name was David 
Peden (house of Samuel). Their children were: Porter, Isa- 
belle, Catherine, Jennie, Rosa. 

III. Isabelle married Thomas Peden (house of James). 
Their children : William, Emily, Isabelle. 

^ IV., Dan married Katie McCalla. Their children : Wil- 

liam, Nixon, Leroy, Robert, Mary, Martha, Jane. 

V. Alexander's wife Sarah McCalla. Children: William, 
Ramsey, Eliza, Mary, Thomas. 

VI. Mary married George Tankersley. Children: Wm., 
Elizabeth, Perry, James D., Margaret. 

I., Robert and Elizabeth (McCalla) Peden. Their descend- 
ants : 

1, Mary married Wm. Settle. One child, Bettie, who mar- 
ried John Williams. 

2, William married Jane McCalla. Six children : John, 
Laurens, Baxter, Jeannette, Adolphus, Belle. 



242 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

3, David married Susan Settle. Children given elsewhere. 

4, James married Amanda McDougal. Children: David, 
Genevieve, Baker. 

11., Margaret and David Paden. Descendants : 

1, Porter married Jane Reneau. Children: Ella, Luke, Kate. 

2, Isabelle married Wylie. One child, Nixon. 

3, Rosa married McRae. One child, Wallace. 

IIL, Dan and Katie (McCalla) Paden. Their descendants: 
I, Nixon married Mary McDougal. Children: Leroy, 
Sophia. 

IV., Alexander and Sarah (McCalla) Peden. Their de- 
scendants : 

1, William married Sallie Frierson. Children: Lizzie, Alice, 
Katie, WilHe. 

2, Ramsey married Mrs. Mitchell. Children : Mary, Ly- 
man, Lizzie. 

3, Mary married Rev. John H. Aughey. Children: Kate, 
John K., Gertrude. 

4, Thomas married Sibbie Thompson. Children: Ward, 
Sallie, Charles, John. 



v., Mary and George Tankersley. Their descendants : 

1, William married a Mrs. Wise. Children; One, Emma. 

2, Elizabeth married Ed. McGeehee. Children: George, 
Callie, Benjamin. 

3, Perry married Miss Harrison. Children: Dick, Jack, 
Jim, Mary. 

4, Margaret married a Campbell. Two children: Willie, 
Johnnie. 

(Signed) Bettie Williams. 



CHAPTER XVl. 



EUZABETB GASTON. 



Mother of no house, yet loved and reverenced by all of 
the houses of Peden; the guiding spirit of all. Youngest and 
fairest of the Peden sisters. Born on Christmas Eve, 1750, 
in Ireland, she was, therefore, about eighteen years old at the 
time of emigration, and had been the wife of William Gaston 
nearly two years. He was many years her senior, the son of 
an exiled Huguenot, of the noble house of Orleans, which 
dates back to the ninth century. With this long and noble 
lineage behind him, he was content to follow the humble oc- 
cupation of a silk weaver. 

His father was an officer in the army of William of Orange, 
and fell in one of the battles of that leader in Ulster. 

William Gaston is described as of tall, soldierly bearing, 
with the manner of "a courtier masquerading as a peasant." 
When the bugle blast of freedom sounded William Gaston 
donned the garb of the continental soldier, found his place 
in their ranks and fought bravely for the independence of 
these United States. Among all the shining names on the 
roll of Upper South Carolina's Revolutionary heroes, in rank 
and file, none are fairer than that of Gaston. 

Such was the soldier husband of sweet Elizabeth Peden. 
He survived the war of 1776- 1783 long enough to leave her 
comfortably placed among her people, and far above want. 
She was a woman nobly planned. "Divinely tall and most 
divinely fair." Witli sweet, winning ways, ready tact and 
boundless, loving S3^mpathy, ever ready to lend a helping 
hand to her brothers and sisters, and their overflowing 
households. It seems strange that to women, in whom the 
instinct maternal is so strongly developed, that the crown of 
maternity is denied ; Elizabeth Gaston realized this, yet it did 
not embitter her nature, she simply adopted the numerous 
crew. Her soft, warm hands welcomed the shivering mor- 
sels as they came into the world, with a soft, little chuckle 



244 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

she cuddled them into their first robes an4 for baptism, and 
sometimes, not often, bathed their tiny faces with hot tears, 
as she laid them in rude caskets for burial. These same hands 
arrayed the brides in their homespun linen bridal dresses, her 
china and silver decked all the wedding feasts. 

When love afifairs did not run smoothly it was to that quiet 
place, Aunt Elizabeth's, the troubled young hearts went for 
comfort and advice, which was never lacking. She smoothed 
the tangles away. It is recorded that she never broke a con- 
fidence however trivial it seemed. Many a simple trousseau 
did her skillful fingers evolve; many a household treasure 
found its way from her always well filled "kists" to humbler 
homes and young couples just "nesting." Hers was the au- 
thority on dress, manners, and etiquette, for her numerous 
nephews and nieces; the court of appeal for brothers and 
sisters. For some unaccountable reason her educational ad- 
vantages had been far better than the others. It is presumed 
that she was teachable and her husband had lifted her to his 
own intellecutal plane. 

In the house of darkness, sickness and death, the beauty 
of her character glowed with peculiar luster. She was always 
first to respond to the call of sickness with her bag of 
"simples" culled from nature's stores. If the balances were 
for life she welcomed the patient back so gladly, preparing 
nourishing food and drinks no others knew their secret. 
If, on the other hand, death claimed the patient, her soft 
hands closed the weary eyes and folded the tired hands over 
the snowy hnen shrouds that she alone knew how to fold so 
deftly. It is said that she shed no tears over the sainted dead ; 
her faith was so bright and strong that death held no terrors 
for her ; she ever looked beyond, cheering the bereft wonder- 
fully by her cheerful views of the great transition. 

Her memory is one of the sweetest of Peden traditions, 
and as far back as the race goes and down to this generation, 
there were, and are, stately Elizabeths, sweet Betties, dainty 
Bessies, and fair Lizzies to keep her "memory green." 

I 



THE PEDENS OF AMEEICA. 



245 



Elizabeth (Peden) Gaston rests in the rock-walled church 
yard at Fairview, beside her noble husband, with only a sim- 
ple stone to mark her resting place. Her old home, now in 
ruins, is in the hands of the stranger. Her rare and precious 
china and silver have, too, gone out of the Peden race, which 
is a source of keen regret as it passed by her will to her favor- 
ite niece, Mary Peden Stennis, from whom, she being child- 
less, it passed to her favorite niece, Margaret Savage, who 
never married, and who in turn gave it to her favorite niece. 
Ana Savage, who died in young womanhood, leaving it to 
her brother's wife, a childless widow. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

HOUSE OF JOHN. 
"His life was gentle and the elements 
So mixed in him that nature might stand up 
And say to the world, 'This was a man.' " 

— Shakespere. 

After years of searching, months of waiting, at the ninth 
hour as it were, the writer of this book found trace of the 
lost house of John, fourth son of John, the father. He was a 
gentle soul. No stone marks his resting place at Fairview, 
S. C, of which church he was the first elder. According to 
tradition his death broke the devoted band of brothers in 
1810. His birth date is 1752. As a Revolutionary soldier his 
record stands high for courage and endurance. Never very 
strong physically, the hardships told on his health, and he 
tramped home with his brothers much broken in health, but 
not in spirit. 

He was one of the three pioneer brothers to Fairvew. Tra- 
dition says he was a skillful stone mason and the wonderful 
old chimneys of the first habitations yet standing attest that 
skill. The writer, as a child, has stood on the great square 
stone and drank from the rock-basin of the spring he kept 
with such care. She is not sure, but thinks that on its face 
was chiseled the initials and date, "J- P-, 1785." This is a 
misty memory of 1861, so it not given as authentic. Most 
of these wonderful old springs are fallen into disuse long ago, 
as change of roadway and other conveniences caused aban- 
donment of most of the old homesteads. There is also a 
memory of a stone-walled garden falling into decay where a 
dear old saint dreamed the sweet summer days away among 
the old time flowers, the red and white roses, the pinks, 
thyme, lavender and numerous other old favorites, beneath 
the wide spreading branches of a giant black walnut, or 
gnarled apple tree. Such is the picture of this old stead. 

In the search for this lost house the writer has had many 



THE PEDENS OF AMEEICA. 247 

amusing conjectures. There has been great diversity of opin- 
ion, and some will be given to show the necessity of record 
keeping in families. 

To begin, at Fairview there are no very early church 
records. Fire destroyed the home of Anthony Savage, the 
first clerk of the session, and with it the records. Afterwards, 
in 181 5, he resumed writing a few from memory and the first 
trace is thus: "1815, April 4th. John Peden's family, with part 
of widow Peden's family, moved to Kentucky. Regularly 
dismissed. In October of the same year, widow Peden and 
rest of her family moved to Kentucky." This led the writer a 
wild goose chase all over Kentucky ; letters and advertise- 
ments all in vain. The few responses received proved the 
writers as belonging to other houses. To whom the copied 
paragraphs refer the writer has not discovered to this day, and 
is now under the impression that the mistake is in the date. 
The family of John Peden did not leave for the West eariier 
than 1825, as the land transfers to Wilson Baker show. 

One letter states very positively, "John Peden never mar- 
ried, but made his home among his brothers and sisters, 
mostly with Polly Alexander.". The Alexanders did not 
corroberate this statement. Another, "John Peden married, 
but had no children." Still another, "Uncle John was father 
of two daughters, both of whom married out of the kin and 
went to Pickens, S. C. One was Mrs. Hamilton, the other 
married a Warnock." Neither the Hamliton family or War- 
nocks had ever heard of this, so no proofs. These are suffi- 
cient to show some of the difficulties the writer has encoun- 
tred. So at the ninth hour comes the following from indis- 
putable authority, one of his descendants, to the effect : Jonh 
Peden married Elizabeth Ann Baker rather late in life, being 
a number of years her senior, she therefore survived him 
quite a number of years. Tradition states that she was a 
large, fair woman of boundless spirit and energy, industrious 
and persevering, a striking contrast to her rather quiet, 
easy going husband, who inherited the fervid faith of his 
father, dwelling much in the "border-land." Their children 



248 THE PEDENS OF AMEEICA. 

were: I., Cynthia; II., Melinda or "Linnie"; III., Amanda; 
IV., Rachel; V., Jane; VI.., John; VII., Samuel 

I., Cynthia married her first cousin, William Peden (house 
of David), she therefore becomes identifed with that house. 

IL, MeHnda, or "Linnie," married her first cousin, Samuel 
Peden (house of David), and also is merged into that house. 
These two brothers, having married these two sisters, reduce 
considerably the size of the house of John. 

TIL, .\manda married John Corley. Their children were : 
I, Samuel ; 2, John ; 3, William ; 4, Mary. 

1, Samuel married two sisters named Walker, both bore 
him a goodly number of children. All trace lost. 

2, John married Payne, of Atlanta. There were 

only two children, but their names and whereabouts are 
unknown. 

3, William was, married three times, but only had two child- 
ren. All trace lost. 

4, Mary married Ben Parr. Their children : Amanda, Lula, 
Sallie, William. These all married but the names are un- 
known, also their children. 

IV., Rachel married David Wardlaw. Their children: 
Robert, Amanda, Julia, Laura, Emory, John, Paden, William. 
No further records. 

v., Jane married Lewis. No trace. They went 

westward after the civil war. 

VI., John married twice; the first time Margaret Foster. 
Their children: i, Robert; 2, Alice; 3, Ada; 4, Clifford; 5. 
John Sanford ; 6, James ; 7, Jemima ; 8, Edward. The second 
time Elizabeth Samples. One child, Susan. 

1, Robert married Cymantha . Children: i, Maggie, 

who married Newton Cane. Their children: Robert, Ernest, 
Newton. 2, Claude ; 3, Ethel ; 4, Alice ; 5, May. 

2, Alice married Ralph McDunov. Children three, Oliver 
and two others names not known. 



THE PEDBNS OF AMERICA, 249 

3, Ada married Dr. Augustus Lyons. Children three: 
Paden and names of other two not given. 

4, Clifford married Upshaw. Two children, names 

unknown. 

5, John Sanford married Anna D. Hollingsworth. Their 
children are in Gadsden, Ala. ; names : William Clifford, John 
Sanford, Jr., Joseph Perry, who died aged six years, Anna 
Josephine, Alice Maude. 

6, James died during the civil war on the Confederate side 
in Virginia ; unmarried. 

7, Jemima married Gustave Gunter. Their children: i, 
Lara ; 2, Barton ; 3, Robert ; 4, Lizzie. 

1, Lara Gunter married Thomas Rodgers. Two children. 

2, Barton Gunter married Lou Powers. Number and 
names of children unknown. 

3, Robert Gunter married Lizzie Webb. Number and 
names of children unknown. 

4, Lizzie Gunter married Bascombe Ball. Two children. 

8, Edward. No record. 

9, Susan married Nat Sherman. Their children: i, Mamie ; 
2, Minnie ; 3, John ; 4, Elijah ; 5, Emma ; 6, Rino. 

1, Mamie Sherman married Forrest Crowley. No children. 

2, Minnie Sherman married Ralph McDermot. Four 
children. 

3, John Sherman married. Wife's name unknown. Two 
children: Frank, Eva. 

4, Elijah Sherman married Adelaide Bellhouse. Their 
children: Lulu, who married Oliver Pharr ; Clifford, who 
married Earle Saunders, two children; John, who is un- 
married. 

5, Emma Sherman married J. Fowler. Three children, 
names unknown. 

6, Rino Sherman ; unmarried. 

VIL, Samuel married a Massey ; names and number of 
their children are unknown. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

I HOUSE OF SIAMUEL. 

"For doubtless unto him was given 
A life that bears immortal fruit." 

Samuel, the fifth son of the house of Peden, was born in 
Ireland in the year 1754. He was therefore one of the four 
younger sons who came with their parents to Spartanburg, 
S. C, and remained with them in their homes on the Tyger 
until the bugle blast of freedom called them forth to do or 
die for the independence of the land of their adoption. Sam- 
uel, like his brothers, was a brave soldier, a true patriot. At 
the close of the war he married Katherine, or as she was 
best known, Katie White. Her memory lingers yet around 
Fairview as a sweet incense, and her tomb is there while 
that of her husband is afar. He, like a true pioneer, took up 
the line of march westward along with his children, and, like 
a true American, sleeps far away from his fathers. 

He left Fairview, S. C, in 1832, along with many of his 
kith and kin, and most of his own numerous family. Died 
December 26, 1835 ; aged eighty-one years. 

Samuel Peden was one of the founders of Smyrna Presby- 
terian church, in Kemper County, Miss., and is buried in its 
church yard, his being the first grave dug in the virgin soil. 
There is a rock monument with a marble slab to his memory. 

The children of Samuel Peden and Katie White : I., John 
or "Jackie"; II., William Thomas; III., James; IV., David 
S.; v., Sallie; VI., Dillie; VII., Ellen; VIII., Senie; IX., 
Penelope; X., Katie. 

I., John or "Jackie" Married his first cousin, EUzabeth 
Peden (house of Thomas), grandparents of the writer, Mrs. 
Leanna Peden McNiell. Their children: i, Thomas White; 
2, Mintie; 3, Katie; 4, Givens ; 5, Lawson Perry; 6, James; 
7, Samuel Robertson ; 8, Bettie ; 9, John ; 10, Andrew. 

I, Thomas White. No record. 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 251 

2, Mintie married a Davis. No record. 

3, Katie married a Buchanan. No record. 

4, Givens married. Wife's name not given. Tlieir children : 
Laura Ann married J. D. Peden. No further record. 
Ruth Elizabeth married a Smith. No further record. 
Leanna married McNiell. No further record, save of one 

dausfhter, who married a first cousin named McNiell. The 
mother of one son, name not given. 

Andrew Simpson died in i860. 

Mary L. married a McDougal. No further record. 

John Jasper died in 1863 ; aged nineteen, 

SalHe Wilson married a Phillips. No further record. 

Aaron ElHs Samuel died in 1864; aged fourteen. 

Givens. No record, 

Margaret Jane also married a Phillips. No further record. 

5, Lawson Perry. No record. 

6, James. No record. 

7, Samuel Robertson. No record. 

8, Bettie died in childhood. 

9, John. No record. 

10, Andrew accidently shot himself and died ; aged fourteen. 
John or "Jackie" Peden came to Kemper county, Miss., in 

the winter of 1836, from North Alabama. He lived to be 
eighty-four years old, and is buried in Smyrna church yard 
where his father Samuel lies. 

II., William Thomas married his first cousin, Mary Peden 
(house of William). Their children: 

1, Rebecca married a Dees. No record. 

2, Katie married a Kavanagh. No record. 

3, Alexander died at nineteen years, 

4, Margaret Martin ; unmarried, 

5, Nancy ; unmarried, 

6, David W. No record. 

7, Mary Jane ; unmarried. 

All of these have been dead many years. 



252 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

Children of William Thomas Peden and his second wife, 

Mary : 

8, Sallie Wilson Harrison married a Myatt. 

9, Archie Mc. No record. 

10, James Samuel married and moved to Texas. 

11, Isabella Barbara married a Knox and moved to Texas. 
William Thomas lived to be very old, over ninety, and is 

burii^d with Samuel, his father, and the greater number of 
his own children in Smyrna church yard, Kemper County, 
Miss. 

III., James, whose records were furnisehd by his grand- 
son. Dr. W. F. Moore, will follow instead of precede the next 
brothers, so as to avoid breaking the narrative of Mrs. 
McNiell. 

IV., David S. married his first cousin, Margaret (house of 
William). Their children: i. Porter. No record; 2, Isabella. 
No record; 3, Katherine. No record; 4, Rosa married Ken- 
neth McRae ; 5, Jennie married Daniel McRae. This family 
settled near Highlands, Tishomingo County, Miss., where 
their descendants are yet living. 

For more than sixty-five years Smyrna church yard has 
been the burying place of the Pedens and many of their con- 
nection. 

The Peden descendants in Mississippi alone would fill a 
large volume, therefore are too numerous to count or try to 
mention in fuller detail. It has been a notable fact, too, that 
the children of the seven brothers intermarried extensively. 

The pioneer Pedens who settled in Kemper County, Miss., 
were : Samuel, with his sons John or "Jackie, William, 
Thomas and their families, also John, James and Alexander, 
sons of David, the seventh son of John ; also Moses White, 
son of Thomas, the second son of John. All the wives of 
these Pedens, except those of James and Alexander, were 
first cousins of their husbands. 

The Pedens who went to Mississippi settled in the follow- 



THE PEDENS OF AMEEICA. 253 

ing counties : Adams, Benton, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Choctaw, 
Covington, Hancock, Holmes, Jackson, Jasper, Lauderdale, 
Lowndes, Montgomery, Neshoba, Noxubee, Oktibbee, Pon- 
totoc, Tallahatchie, Tate, Tishomingo, Winston and proba- 
bly others, are descendants of this remarkable couple of 
Scotch-Irish emigrants, John Peden and his wife Margaret 
McDill. 

(Signed) Leanna McNiell. 

in., James married Frances Brockman, in Spartanburg 
County, S. C. After the birth of several children my grand 
parents (the above), removed to Alabama, thence to Missis- 
sippi, where he and grandmother died within eleven days of 
each other. She went first, he followed, as the doctor said, 
without organic disease, just heart-broken. They left the 
following children: i, John M. ; 2, Samuel H. ; 3, Frank B. ; 
4, Clarinda; 5, Elizabeth; 6, Marinda ; 7, Susan; 8, Frances. 
All of whom are dead except Frank B., who lives in Western 
Texas. 

1, John M. Paden died in Chickasaw County, Miss., near 
Sparta, leaving several children there. He married a Miss 
Bell. 

2, Samuel H. Paden died at Barrtown, Kansas, where his 
wife lives with several children and grandchildren. 

3, Frank B. Paden and family live in Western Texas. He 
has one daughter living in Mississippi, a Mrs. Caradine. His 
children were seven. Both Samuel H. and Frank B. were 
married twice. 

4, Clarinda Paden married Benj. Clark. Mother of twelve 
children. This Spartan dame gave the Confederate cause 
five noble sons; they laid their young lives on the altar of 
the lost cause. (The Peden historian has not the proud 
honor of inscribing their names on these pages, but they are 
enrolled on the heart of the South.) The other seven children 
are left in Chickasaw County, Miss., save one, Sarah, who 
married Louis Hooker and lives in Eastland County, Texas. 

5, Elizabeth Paden married John Dawson; both died in 



254 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

Choctaw County, Miss., leaving several children, two of 
whom live in Vanzant Countv, Texas. 

6, Marinda Paden married J. M. Moore, who was a native 
of Abbeville County, S. C, though they were married in Ala- 
bama. She was mother of thirteen children; ten are now 
living, three died young. The ten are in Texas, came in 1867. 
J. M. Moore died in 1880. Mother preceded him many years 
dying in 1861. The children: i, J. P. Moore; 2, J. T. Moore; 

3, L. Moore, lives at Florence, Williamson County, Texas ; 

4, Susan P. Moore married Morris; 5, S. F. Moore married 
Tomlinson; 6, H. A. Moore married Jackson, also Hve in 
Florence, Tex. ; 7, Clarinda Moore married McVey, lives at 
Tayter or Taylor, Texas. 8, S. H. Moore and 9, M. M. 
Moore, who married Harrison, live at Seymour, Baylor 
County, Texas; while the writer, 10, W. F. Moore, lives in 
Mexia, Limestone County, Texas, The Moores all have 
children, save the writer. 

7, Susan Paden married Carroll Thompson; both died at 
Dodd City, Fannin County, Texas, where their children, 
number not known, now live. 

8, Frances Paden married Dr. J. H. McLendon. Mother 
of six children, all of whom died in childhood, and their 
mother did not survive them long, so this entire family is 
lost to us. 

Winston County, Miss., was largely populated by Padens, 
and their relatives. Rev. Mitchell Peden was their first pas- 
tor. The Texas Pedens-Padens are in almost every county 
of that immense State, but the largest number are grouped 
near the central part, in Hill, Kaufman and Limestone Coun- 
ties. All are descended from the same source, preserve the 
same characteristics, plain, substantial citizens, true to their 
country and to themselves. None have amassed great 
wealth. What Irishman ever does? I never knew a bad 
drinker among the whole relationship; or ofifice seekers, and 
very few ever held ofifice. Grandfathei's family were divided 
as to creed. John, Clarinda, Marinda and Susan were Mis- 
sionary Baptists. Samuel, Frank and Frances were Camp- 



THE PKDENS OP AMERICA. 255 

bellites, Elizabeth a Cumberland Presbyterian; while the 
originals were all strict Presbyterians, The grandchildren of 
James, son of Samuel, son of John, the father, numbered 
seventy-two, though many died young. 

(Signed) W. F. Moore. 

v., SaUie married Barnes; settled in Winston 

County, Miss. 

VI., Dillie married Adams ; settled in Neshoba 

County, Miss. 

VII., Ellen married Trimm. No records, 

VIII., Senie married Trimm. No records. 

IX., Penelope married Lynn. No records. 

X., Katie married her first cousin, John Morton (house of 
Jane) ; he died, she then married his half-brother, Samuel 
Morrow (house of Jane). No further record. 

This closes the incomplete house of Samuel, whose records 
were furnished by two of his garndchildren, Mrs. Leanna 
Peden McNiell and Dr. W. F. Moore. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

HOiUSE OF ALEXAINDEK. 
"There are countless heroes who live and die, 

Of whom we have never heard, 
For the great, big, brawling world goes by 

With hardly a look, or a word, 
And one of the bravest, truest of all. 

Of whom the list can boast 
Is the man who falls on duty's call. 

The man who dies at his post. 
There are plenty to laud and to crown with bays. 

The hero who falls in the strife ; 
There are few who offer a word of praise, 

To the crownless hero of daily life, 

Alexander, sixth son of John, the father, was born in Ire- 
land, April, 1756, and was married to Rebecca Martin April 
15, 1784. He was one of the four younger sons, and spent 
his long, quiet life, after the Revolutionary war, near Fair- 
view, S. C, under the wide, spreading boughs of his immense 
black walnut tree, which he planted, reared and enjoyed for 
its "shade, fruit and dyestuff." The roots of this giant fur- 
nished the gavel used at the reunion of 1899. Of the im- 
mense clan of Peden only a few of his descendants now re- 
main on "their native heath." This being one of the largest 
and strongest houses. 

To Alexander Peden and Rebecca, his wife, were born 
eleven children. They were as follows : I., Robert ; II., Mar- 
garet; HI., John Thomas; IV., Nancy; V., Rebecca; VI., 
Mary; VII., Scipio; VIII., Janet; IX., Elizabeth Melissa 
(died young); X., Sarah; XL, Eliza Alston (died young). 



I., Robert married his first cousin, Jane, a daughter of 
Thomas, one of the seven original brothers. Their children: 
I, Thomas Alexander, born Sept. 27, 1808; 2, Martin White, 
born Nov. 28, 1810; 3, Terethiel, born Oct. 13, 1812; 4, Andy 



THE PEDEISTS OF AMERICA. 257 

Milton, born July 2"^, 1814; 5, John Simpson, born Oct. 12, 
1816; 6, Elizabeth Ann, born Aug. 24, 1818; 7, James Scipio, 
born March 12, 1821 ; 8, Mary McDill, born June 29, 1823. 

I, Thomas Alexander Peden married Jane Boyd. Their 
children were: i, Mary; 2, Jane; 3, Robert; 4, James Boyd; 
5, Margaret ; 6, Sarah ; 7, David ; 8, Catherine ; 9, John. 

1, Mary married Hugh Woods. Her children were: Jane, 
John, James, Martin, Lucian. No record of their grand- 
children. 

2, Jane married David Barton. Only one child, Sarah, who 
married a Babb. 

3, Robert never married. 

4, James Boyd never married. 

5, Margaret married Washington Thomason. One child, 
Alice, who maried a Babb. Her second husband is Neal 
Putnam. Their children are five: James R., John W., Sallie 
K., Thomas Alexander, Mary. 

6, Sarah married Barnett Babb. No record of children's 
names. 

7, David married twice ; first Elizabeth Boyd. One child, 
J. Robert, who married Norris. They have no children. 
Name of the second wife and her children unknown. 

8, Catherine was the first wife of Barnett Babb who, after 
her death, married her sister, Sarah. 

9, John married Elizabeth Barton. Their children are : 
Nancy, Mary, Myra or Mysie, Janet, William, Rosa, Ellen, 
Earl Grace. 

2, Martin White Peden married Eleanor Baker, who was 
of the house of David. In this marriage there is a union of 
three houses, Thomas, Alexander and David. Their children 
were: i, Franklin; 2, Jane; 3, J. Waddie T. ; 4, Robert; 5, 
John ; 6, Elizabeth ; 7, Andrew ; 8, Mollie ; 9, David ; 10, Wil- 
liam ; II, Thomas. 

1, Franklin laid his life a brave sacrifice on the altar of the 
Confederacy. He was not married. 

2, Jane was twice married ; first to Silas Lipsy, second to 



258 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

Shelton Halsell. She was the mother of five children names 
not given. 

3, J. Waddie T. twice married ; first to Jane Mooney of the 
house of Thomas. Her children were: i, Henry; 2, Dora; 
3, David, i, Henry married Margaret Cook. Their children : 
Mabel, Lorena, Sunie. Second to Susan Griffin. No children. 

4, Robert ; unmarried. 

5, John was twice married; first to Ellen Marion; second 
to Rosa Marion , No children. 

6, Elizabeth married S. L. Wilson. Their children are ten 
in number; names not given. 

7, Andrew married Katie Mcjunkin. Seven children; 
names not given. 

8, Mollie married Robert Marion. No children. 

9, David married Jennie Mosely. Two children ; names 
not given. 

10, William; unmarried. 

11, Thomas twice married; first Sophronia Calloway;, 
second Mary Boyd. 

The men of this family were splendid soldiers in the civil 
war wearing the gray, while the women were devoted to the 
lost cause. 

3, Terethiel ; died young. 

4, Andrew Milton Peden married Elizabeth Fowler, of the 
house of Thomas. They were the parents of twelve children : 
I, Alexander; 2, Nancy; 3, Robert; 4, James M. ; 5, Jane; 6, 
Mary Ann; 7, Matilda; 8, G. Beauregard; 9, Susan; 10, 11, 
12 died in infancy. 

1, Alexander was a brave member of Hampton Legion, 
Company E., and was killed in battle early in the civil war. 

2, Nancy died. 

3, Robert marrie i Ann Terry. Their children were six: 

1, Charles T. ; 2, Andrew (died); 3, Belle; 4, John; 5, Lou; 
the sixth died an infant, i, Charles T. married AHce Delong. 

2, Belle married Charles Garraux. Mother of four children: 
Cora, Annie, Belle, baby's name unknown. 4, John, un- 
married ; 5, Lou married Bigbee and lives in Texas. 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 



259 



4, James M. married Caroline Babb. Their children are 
four: I, Minnie; 2, Emma; 3, Marion; 4, Calvin, i, Minnie 
married Wm. Thomason. Two children, names not given. 
2, Emma married Sam Turner. Two children, names un- 
known. 

5, Jane went to Texas and married there. Names of her 
husband and children unknown. 

6, Mary Ann married Andrew Chapman. Names and num- 
ber of children unknown ; homes in Georgia. 

7, Matilda M. married W. H. L. Thompson. Their children : 
R. v., A. B., M. S., B. B., L. M., S. L., N. E. 

8, Beauregard went to Alabama ; married there ; name of 
wife and number of children unknown. 

9, Susan married Dempsey. Mother of three 

children, then died; names and whereabouts of children un- 
known. 

5, John Simpson Peden married his first cousin, Margaret 
M. Peden, daughter of John Thomas, brother of Robert, 
both sons of Alexander. Their children were:i, Thomas; 2, 
Robert ; 3, Mary ; 4, David M. 

John Simpson Peden met his death at the hands of his 
neighbor, Enoch Massey, over a land boundary dispute, 

1, Thomas married Harriet Harrison and was killed in 
battle during the civil war, being a member of the famous 
Hampton Legion; leaving only one child, Corrie, the wife of 
Wm P. Anderson. She is the mother of two noble young 
sons. Frank P., Wm. P., Jr. 

2, Robert married Elizabeth Harrison. These two wives 
were sisters. Their children are William, Thomas, Elizabeth. 
The two youngest are married. 

3, Mary has never married. 

4, David M. married M. J. Stoddard, Their children are: 
Leila, W. L., Essie, Maggie, Stacie. Robert, Mary. 

Some years after the tragic end of her husband, the wife of 
John Simpson Peden married Miles Garret. Two children: 
Cair.e, Davis, these are also recorded in the mother's line, 
that of John Thomas Peden. 



26o THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

6, Elizabeth Ann married Moses T. Fowler and their child- 
ren, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are recorded in 
the house of Thomas, to which Moses T. Fowler belonged in 
right of his mother, Nancy Peden, also by courtesy of senior- 
ity, this being one of the families of the "distaff of spindle 
side," meaning descent through the female line. 

7, James Scipio and Elizabeth Stenhouse were married 
Nov. 30, 1854. Children: i, Adam Stenhouse, born June 20, 
1856; 2, John Stewart, born June 20, 1859; 3, Rixie, born 
Nov. 18, 1861 ; 4, Janet, born April 11, 1864. 

1, Adam S. Peden married Nannie Stewart, daughter of 
Rev. C. B. Stewart, Nov, 13, 1883. Children: Bessie Belle, 
born Feb. 14, 1885; Annie Stewart, born Sept. 10, 1886; 
James Clark, born Oct. 20, 1889. 

2, John Stewart and Mamie (Mears) Wright were married 
Oct. 5, 1892. Children : Samuel, born Aug. 14, 1893 ; Robert 
Lee, born Aug. 28, 1894; Henr}^ Burwell, born July 12, 1897; 
Lila and Lizzie, born March 26, 1899. 

3, Rixie and W. Stewart Peden were married Dec. 21, 1882. 
Their children are recorded in the line of John Thomas 
Peden, from whom W. Stewart Peden descends (same house). 

4, Janet E. married Wm. M. Stenhouse Jan. 27, 1897. They 
have one child, Margaret Elizabeth, born June 27, 1899; ^^^^ 
youngest guest at the Peden reunion during August, 1899. 

James Scipio Peden gave his life for the Confederate cause, 
dying nobly on the field of battle, 1864. 

8, Mary McDill Peden married David Boyd. Children: i, 
Jane Ann ; 2, EHzabeth Curtis ; 3, James Scipio ; 4, Salhe 
Simpson ; 5, Mary McDiU ; 6, Robert Peden ; 7, Louisa Tare- 
thiel; 8, Catherine Ehender; 9, Nannie Alethia. 

I, Jane Ann Boyd married George F. Terry. Lives at 
Lickville, S. C. Children: i, MoUie Ehzabeth ; 2, Nannie 
Alethia; 3, Sallie Jane; 4, Cannie Louisa; 5, Leila Boyd; 6, 
Mettie Eugenia; 7, Josie Stella, i, Molhe E. Terry married 
Thomas R. Goldsmith. Lives at Cedrus, S. C. Children: 
Jane Hellen, Sarah Woodside, Thomas George, James 
Edwin. 2, Nannie A, Terry married John A. Norris. Lives 



THE PEDENS OF A]VrERICA. 261 

at Woodville, S. C. Children: Cleo, Jessie, Walter, Frank, 
Annie C. 3, Cannie L. Terry married Robert L. Simpson. 
Lives at Piedmont, S. C. 

2, Elizabeth Curtis married John H. Boyd. Lives at Grand- 
\aew, Tex. Children: i, Lula ; 2, Kate; 3, Johnie ; 4, Allen; 
5, Jo Stella; 6, Curtis; 7, Moss, i, Lula Boyd married Prof. 
Garrison. Lives in Grandview, Tex. Children: Zollie. 2, 
Kate Boyd married a Lovelady. Lives in Cleburne, Tex. 4, 
Allen Boyd married; names unknown; one child. Live in 
Cleburne, Tex. 

3, James Scipio Boyd married Julia Campbell. Lives in 
Jonah, Tex. Children: i, Walter Edgbert ; 2, Annie; 3, Jen- 
nie Lou. I, Walter E. Boyd married LilHe Bowers. Lives in 
Jonah, Tex. 3, Jennie Lou Boyd married Burt C. King. 
Lives in Jonah, Tex. 

4, Sallie Simpson Boyd married John Stewart. Lived in 
Texas; now dead. Children: Ada, May, Dee. All three are 
married and have homes in Texas. 

5, Mary McDill Boyd married Wm. Terry. One child: i, 
Lou Ella. At the death of Wm. Terry she married James 
Pullin. Lives in Bee County, Tex. Have eight children, 
names unknown, i, Lou Ella Terry, daughter of above mar- 
ried Wm. Keese. Lives in Lyon, Tex. Children: Bertha, 
Arthur, David, Lommie Lee and Leila Lou (twins). 

6, Robert Peden Boyd married Addie Campbell. Lives in 
Towenville, Tex. Children: Eddie, Dee, Edgar, AHce. 

7, Louisa Tarathiel Boyd maried Wm. Wylie. Lives in 
Auburn, Tex. Children: i. Lola; 2, Mamie; 3, Johnny; 4, 
Charles, i, Lola Wylie married Thomas Nation; at his 
death married Crowley. Has one child ; name un- 
known. 2, Mamie Wylie married Prof. Holland. Lives at 
Ozra, Tex. Children : Lucile, T. Y. 3, Johnnie Wylie mar- 
ried E. B. McClelland. Lives at Grandview, Tex. 

9, Nannie A. Boyd married Charles Ingle. 

n., Margaret married her first cousin, Moses White Peden, 
her records are found in the house of Thomas. She was the 



262 THE PEDENS OF AMEEICA. 

mother of eleven children, of whom traces have been found, 
save of Mary Ann, who married James Thompson (house of 
Mary). 

IV., Nancy married her first cousin, John Peden, eldest son 
of David, therefore her records are found in the house of 
David. She was the mother of eight children. 

In these sisters the pioneer spirit was dominant. They 
went with their families first to Georgia, later to Mississippi, 
helping to establish the County of Gwinnett, and Fairview 
Presbyterian church, in the same county, along with the 
Alexanders and a large number of other Pedens. Later they 
moved to Mississippi, establishing the County of Kemper, 
and founding the Presbyterian church of Smyrna, where the 
burdens of this life were lifted and they laid down to sleep, 
far from the tombs of their own parents. Tradition says they 
were very beautiful women, of the rich brunette order, and 
devotedly attached to each other. "In life inseparable, in 
death they were not long separated, having attained to a 
great age." 

III., John Thomas Peden married his first cousin, EHzabeth 
Martin. Their children were ten: i, Margaret M.: 2, Re- 
becca ; 3, Mary T. ; 4, Jane E. ; 5, David Martin ; 6, Nancy T. ; 
7, Alexander J. ; 8, Robert N. ; 9, Sarah F., 10, Martha C. 

1, Margaret M. married her first cousin, John Simpson 
Peden, same house ; recorded in line of Robert (house of 
Alexander). 

2, Rebecca married twice ; first, a cousin, R. Montgomery 
Morton (house of Jane). Their children were : James, Eliza- 
beth. No trace save they went West. Her second husband 
was James Thompson, another cousin, of the house of Mary. 
Their children are : Alexander, John Thomas, Joseph, Mary, 
David, Jefiferson. These all moved to Alabama. 

3, Mary T. married Thomas Austin. Their children : Jane, 
John Thomas, James, Ellen. No records, save of Ellen, who 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 



263 



married H. F. Whiten. Their children : Alvin C, Cora, Nan- 
nie. Her second husband was Beverly Garrett. Their child- 
ren : Linnie, Callie, Eliza, Beverly, Jr. No further record. 

4, Jane E. married James McDowell. Their children: i, 
Mary; 2, T. Whitner; 3, Callie; 4, Phrona; 5, Reed; 6, Ella; 
7, Wister. I, Mary married J. M. Richardson. Their children : 
T. W., Furman, Pearl, Carrie. 2, T. Whitner married Jane 
Harrison. Their children: John L., James S., Corrie E., 
Laura E., Thomas S. His second wife was Elizabeth E. Gar- 
rett. No children. John L. married Gertrude Babb. One 
child, Frank H. 3, Callie married M. P. Nash. Their child- 
ren : L. B., N. J., S. R., Essie, E. M. 4, Phrona also married a 
Richardson. Their children: James, Walter, Mag-gie, Manie. 
5, Reed married an Armstrong. No further record. 6, Ella 

married Armstrong. Their children: Jane, Ernest, 

Charles, John. 7, Wister married Eugenia Wasson. Their 
children: Eva, Jennie, Peden, Minnie, Hettie. 

5, David Martin Peden of sainted memory, a man of ster- 
ling worth, with few peers in his generation. Of him it might 
be truly said, as of Enoch of old, "he walked with God." The 
briefest acquaintance with him betrayed the fact that he lived 
in close communion with his Saviour. 

He was prosperous in the goods of this world above the 
average of his race, and while his fervid piety was of the 
same type of his forefathers, the outside world knew little of 
him or his worth. This noble man, who would have died for 
a principle, was a quiet forceful character. A brave Confede- 
rate soldier even to the end of the struggle in 1865. 

He married Caroline Harrison who, with four children, sur- 
vive him. The children : i, John Thomas ; 2, Laura E. ; 3, W. 
Stewart ; 4, Sue. John Thomas — "Big Tom" — is large of 
physique but larger of heart, a worthy son of his good father. 
He married Mary Dorroh. Their children : David Dorroh, 
Charles Lindsay, Carrie Sue, Samuel L., Thomas Eugene, 
Lucy Allen. 2, Laura E. married James L West. Their 
children: Charles D., Casper S., Ethel, Eleanor Morris, Annie 



264 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

May, Peden. 3, W. Stewart married his cousin, Rixie Peden 
(same house). Their children: Fred S., Nettie, Laura Belle, 
David M. 4, Sue P. married Jones R. West. Their children : 
Geneva, Eleanor, Mabel, Robbie Jones, Wm. David Peden. 

6, Nancy L. married John S. Hammond. Their children: 
I, Tocoa ; 2, T. Herbert ; 3, Adelia ; 4, Mary T. ; 5, Samuel G. 
I, Tocoa married J. J. Vernon. No children. 2, T. Herbert 
married. Wife's name unknown. Their children : A. P., Ethel 
P., Leila M., Nannie E., Ernestine, Edna Louise. Mary Ella, 
John H., Marjie Belle, Marion F., Thomas Alexander. 3, 
Adalia; unmarried. 4, Mary T. married F. M. Hardin. Their 
children: Mary T., Frank H. 5, Samuel G. married Minnie 
E. Oeland. Their children : J. Oeland, Edmund B., Samuel 
R., Margaret E., S. G. 

7, Alexander J. died young of fever. 

8, Robert N. died at the same time of fever. 

9, Sarah Frances married Marion West. Their children : 
Mary, Robert, Sarah. 

10, Martha C. married T. McDuffey Templeton, who was 
also a noble sacrifice to the lost cause. One child, a son, 

Laurence Hayne Templeton, who married Mary J. . 

Their children: Lutie McD., Lula M., James H., David 
Peden, Corrie E. 

The family of John Thomas Peden furnished many a brave 
soldier to the Confederate cause and gave a number of young 
lives in the service of the South. 

v., Rebecca Peden married John Stenhouse. Their child- 
ren: I, Jane; 2, Rachel; 3, Alexander; 4, Adam; 5, Rebecca; 
6, Mary. 

I, Jane married James Harrison. Parents of eight children: 
Rebecca, Mary, Sarah Ann ; Rachel, Margaret, Virginia, Wil- 
liam, Turner. This entire family moved to Kemper County, 
Miss., which was settled almost entirely by Pedens and their 
branches of other names, and as frequent intermarriages have 
taken place the names of Stenhouse and Harrison will occur 
among other lines of this immense house. 



THE PEDENiS OF AMERICA. 265 

2, Rachel married James Anderson. Their children: i, 
John (died) ; 2, Stewart (died) ; 3, Lou ; 4, Sallie ; 5, 6, Calvin 
and Pinkney (twins); 7, Anna; 8, Laurens; 9, 10, twins who 
died unmarried. 3, Lou Anderson married J. Wister Stewart 
and left three children : Leila, Catherine, Anderson. 4, Sallie 
Anderson married Lawrence Garrett and left two sons : Tal- 
madge, Joe Hitch. 5, Calvin Anderson married Hettie 
Sprouse. No children. 6, Pinkney Anderson died unmar- 
ried. 7, Anna Anderson married Charles Smith, Died leav- 
ing no children. 8, Laurens Anderson moved to Texas, mar- 
ried and has four children : Ora B., Marion C, Lang, Forest. 

3, Alexander Stenhouse married Virginia Knox and moved 
to Mississippi. No further trace. 

4, Adam Stenhouse also married in Mississippi (Kemper 
County). No trace. 

5, Rebecca Stenhouse married J. T. Paden (house un- 
known). Moved to Kemper County, Miss. No trace. 

6, Mary Stenhouse married Samuel McKittrick. Their 
children : i, John ; 2, Addie ; 3, Mattie ; 4, S. Turner; 5, Jeffer- 
son D. Three died in infancy (unnamed), i, John McKit- 
trick married Mollie Sprouse. Seven children: Pallie, Sam- 
uel, Nicholls, J. H., Mary, Lake ; last child's name not given. 
2, Addie McKittrick married John Simpson. No children. 3, 
Mattie McKittrick married Warren Sprouse. Three children: 
Carrie, Annie, William. 4, S. Turner McKittrick married 
Tempie Scott. Four children : Fred Stenhouse, Mary, Samuel, 
Sue Turner. 5, Jefferson D. McKittrick married Nannie 
Thackston. No children. 

VL, Mary married her first cousin, William Thomas Peden 
(of the house of Samuel). Their records are found in that 
house. 

VIL, Scipio Peden, third son of Alexander and Rebecca 
Peden. Born Feb. 9, 1799. Married his cousin, Martha Mc- 
Vey, 1819. Only one child, John McVey. They settled about 



266 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

two miles south of Cedar Falls, on the east bank of Reedy 
River, and spent their lives on this farm. Scipio died 1867. 
His wife, Martha, died (at the home of her son) in 1874. 

John McVey, son of Scipio and Martha Peden. Born July 
2^, 1821. Married Miss Nancy Eliza Smith, 1856. They set- 
tled one half mile west of Fairview Presbyterian church, on 
the Fork Shoals road, and reared the following family: i, 
Martha Eugenia; 2, Mary Theresa; 3, John Elliott; 4, Irene; 
5, Archie Lee; 6, James Walter; 7, Oscar McVey; 8, May 
Eliza. 

1, Martha Eugenia married Dr. H. B., son of Rev. C. B. 
Stewart, March 4, 1880. Is living three miles south of Fair- 
view church and has the following heirs : Frennie Fair, Bessie 
Britt, Allie Amanda (dead), Clififord Calhoun, Mack M., 
Hoke Harry Howe, Rosa Ross, Calvin Boardman. 

2, Mary Theresa married Rev. D. S., son of Mr. G. B. 
Thomason, Dec. 12, 1878. Is living one mile from Fairview 
church, on Fork Shoals road and has the following heirs: 
Clarence Gideon, Daisy, Samuel. 

3, John Elliott married Nana Richardson in August, 1886. 
Is li\ing near Piedmont, S. C. Heirs: Blanche, Mary. 

4, Archie Lee married Janie Willis March 5, 1887. Is living 
on McKittrick Bridge Road, about two miles southwest of 
Fairview church, and has the following heirs: Earle, Floree, 
Harry Lee. 

J. McPeden died July 26, 1891. He was a member of Fair- 
view church from early manhood. Served through the whole 
of the Confederate war. Come home foot-sore and hungry 
and lived a quiet life on the farm until the end. 

(Signed) H. B. Stewart. 

Historian for line of VII., Scipio Peden. 

VIII., Janet Peden married her first cousin, James Martin. 
Their children: i, Rebecca; 2, David; 3, Alexander; 4, Ser- 
ena; 5, James, i, Rebecca married Franklin Baker, her 
cousin, of the house of David. They moved to Chickasaw 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 267 

County, Miss. No further records, but they have kept up the 
time honored custom of intermarriage, so they will be found 
among the branches of the Peden tree. 2, David married 

Marion, of Chickasaw County, Miss. 3, Alexander 

went to Mississippi but no record of wife or children. 4, Se- 
rena married Wilson, also of Chickasaw County, Miss. 

No trace or record. 5, James found a home with his family 
in Chickasaw County, Miss. This county too was colonized 
by Peden branches. 

IX., Sarah married William Harrison. Mother of two 
sons . I, John A. ; 2, W. Thomas W. i, John A. never married 
but died for the Confederacy. 2, W. Thomas W. married 
Nannie E. Pegg. Their children: i, Sallie, who died young. 
2, Hollie married George Smithson. Mother of two children : 
Louis, Pearl. 3, Thomas Samuel married Nannie E. Pool. 
Their children : Miriam, Albert, Iris. 4, Thomas ; 5, Eliza- 
beth ; 6, Ruth ; 7, William Henry ; 8, Margaret ; 9, John Alex- 
ander; 10, Evelyn; aged nine. 

X., Elizabeth Melissa died very young. 

XL, Eliza Alston died also in early womanhood 
The Peden historian hopes no blame will be attached to her 
for the apparent smallness of this, one of the largest houses. 
It would seem the women were specially attractive to their 
cousins of the other houses, as that of Thomas absorbs Mar- 
garet, that of David absorbs Nancy, that of Samuel absorbs 
Mary, all three of whom had large families. Of the other 
sisters, Rebecca (Stenhouse or Stennis), Janet (Martin), im- 
possible to obtain full records. There were only three sons, 
and on them depends the representation. 

As a fitting close to this house is added the following from 
the tomb of its father: 



268 THE PEDENS OF AMERI€A. 

Sacred to the Memory of 
Mr. Alexander Peden. 

Born April, 1756 and died 21st January, 1841. 

Mr. Peden was a soldier in the Revolutionary war and for 
53 years an inhabitant of Greenville District, and a member 
of the Presbyterian church at Fairview. 

As a Patriot Beloved; 

As a Citizen Esteemed ; 

And as a Member of the Church Exemplary. 

Like a shock of corn fully ripe, he was gathered to sleep 
with his fathers in the dust. His name will ever be dear to 
and his epitaph read with the deepest emotions of regard by 
a large circle of friends and relatives. 

"The memory of the just is blessed 
But the name of the wicked shall rot." 



CHAPTER XX. 



HOUSE OF DAVID. 



David, seventh son and youngest child of John and Mar- 
garet McDill Peden, was born in Ireland, November i, 1760. 
He was therefore only a few weeks old when King George H. 
died and his weak, tyrannical son, George HI. reigned in his 
stead. 

Born in the midst of troublous times, yet none the less wel- 
comed into that already overflowing household. His mother 
was already grandmother to a host of small Alexanders, Mor- 
tons and Pedens when he arrived, and as she merrily said 
afterwards, "Yes, Davie came when my nose and chin 
'thritened ither,' " referring to her age and loss of teeth. 

David was about ten years of age when the long voyage 
across the Atlantic took place. He remembered its perils, its 
few pleasures, its incidents and talked of them freely, but of 
his Irish home he never spoke, in deference to his father's 
wishes, or rather his commands. 

After serving faithfully through the entire period of the 
war for American Independence, 1776- 1783, entering the 
army at the age of sixteen, under protest of both parents and 
all his brothers, he learned to be a miller with Robert Good- 
gion. Then receiving a grant to lands in the newly acquired 
territory, now Greenville County, S. C. took possession and 
founded his house. The grant referred to (signed by Gove- 
nor Pinckney) is in the possesion of his lineal descendant, 
Capt. D. D. Peden, and shows his holding to have been be- 
tween 900 and 1,000 acres. The old boundary lines have been 
furnished the writer as follows : 

"ist corner a little east of Raeburn creek, just below and 
including the old mill site, running due north thence to 2nd 
corner, in what is now known as the M. T. Fowler place, run- 
ning thence west across Raeburn creek to 3rd corner, of the 
once Mooney place, now that of D, M. Peden ; thence south 
to the 4th corner, on the old Ramsay, now Wm. Thomason 



270 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

place ; thence back to the old mill, now proprety of Hon. J. 
R. Harrison, forming almost a perfect square. This tract, 
with the exception of the old homestead, number acres not 
known, and belonging to Mr. L. Brownlee, and five acres 
owned by Dr. G. W. Wasson, is still in the possession of the 
Peden descendants, but not those of David Peden." 

As his children grew up and married he gave them off a 
certain number of acres each, which in time they disposed of 
and migrated West, except Thomas, the fifth son, and Elea- 
nor, the youngest daughter, who married James Dunbar. 
David Peden died in October, 1823, leaving the three children 
of his last wife minors ; they chose James Dunbar as their 
guardian. He bought the old stead for his wife, Eleanor, and 
in time the shares of her two brothers, whom he reared to 
manhood. The old homeplace of David Peden has passed 
through the following ownerships since 1823: first James 
Dunbar, who sold it to his son-in-law, Dr. J. W. Hewell, in 

1862-1863, he sold it to Marchant in 1865, who in turn 

sold it to Josiah Wasson, date unknown, and a number of 
years ago, possibly ten or fifteen, it became the property of 
its present owner. 

Of the great host of David Peden's descendants there are 
now in South Carolina only fourteen souls, and none of them 
own a foothold of the old homestead. 

David Peden married first Eleanor Goodgion, a daughter 
or sister of that brave soldier and noted Whig, Capt. Robert 
Goodgion. Their children were: I, Margaret, born Feb. 15, 
1787; H., John, born Sept. 3, 1788; HI., Robert, born July 
I5» 1790 J IV., James, born Jan. 17, 1792; V., Penelope, born 
Nov. 29, 1793; VI., WilHam, born April 3, 1795; VH., 
Thomas, born Feb. 11, 1799; VHL, Rebecca, born March 15, 
1800; IX., Samuel, born Oct. 15, 1802; X., Alexander, born 
Sept. 12, 1804. These compose the elder branch, or line of the 
house of David. 

In 1806 or 1807 he married Margaret Hughes, daughter of 
Thomas and Annie Hughes, and granddaughter of Samuel 
Miller, all of patriotic Whig record in Upper South Carolina. 



THE PEDENS OF AMEKJCA. 271 

Their children were: XL, Eleanor Goodgion, born June 16, 
1809; XII., Andrew Gilliland, born Oct. 28, 181 1; XIII., 
David Hamilton, born Aug. 12, 1813; XIV., Dan Morgan, 

born , 1815. The last lived only a few months. These 

comprise the younger branch. 

I., Margaret married her second cousin, James Alexander, 
son of Maj. John Alexander, according to the Alexander 
records, into which house, that of Mary, she becomes merged. 
The meager records found of her and her children are in- 
cluded in that house, for according to good old Scottish 
usage and custom, when "a. woman by marriage and change 
of name, lost her identity with her father's house, she ceased 
to be recognized as one of them ;" moreover the children 
rightfully belong to the name and lineage of the father. 

TL, John, first son and second child of David and Eleanor 
Goodgion Peden, was born at the old home, Fairview, S. C. 
Married his first cousin, Nancy Peden, second daughter of 
the house of Alexander. They moved from Fairview, Green- 
ville County, S. C., to Fairview, Gwinnett County, Ga., in 
1828; thence to Kemper County, Miss., 1845, where he died 
at the ripe old age of fourscore and nine. Their children 
were: i, Eleanor, Nov. 26, 1812; 2, Rebecca, March 23, 1815; 
3, Margaret, Oct. 7, 1816; 4, David (historian of this line), 
April 3, 1820; 5, Mary, July 14, 1823; 6, Sarah, May 18, 1826; 
7, Eliza, Dec. 26, 1829; 8, Nancy Aug. 18, 1833 

1, Eleanor married W. P. Dunbar. Only one child, a son 
named James, who lives at Ennis, Miss., but made no re- 
sponse to numerous inquiries. 

2, Rebecca Peden married J. F. Cousar. They are the 
parents of: i, Martha Cousar, Jan. 5, 1837; 2, David Cousar, 
Oct. 26, 1840; 3, John Cousar, July 9, 1845 ; 4, Nancy Cousar, 
May 5, 1848; 5, Thomas Cousar, Feb. 20, 1854; 6, Maggie 
Cousar, Nov. 28, 1857. 

I, Martha Cousar married J. W Mooney. Have two child- 
ren: OHvia Mooney, July 9, 1859. Married B. C. Margrave. 



272 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

They are parents of seven children. Alice Mooney, May 17, 
1861. Married E. L. Brady. They have four children. 

2, David Cousar married M. M. Rea. Six children. 

3, John Cousar married Mary Arnold. Ten children. 

4, Nancy died unmarried. 

5, Thomas married Mollie Carter. Five children. 

6, Maggie married W. M. Stout. Five sons. 

All of John Peden's daughters are gone, only his son, 
Da\nd, is left ; they rest in Mississippi, except Rebecca (Pe- 
den) Cousar and Nancy (Peden) Peden, they sleep in Parker 
County, Texas, near Knob. 

3, Margaret, born Oct. 7, 1816; died 1827. 

4, David, the only son, married his first cousin. Margaret 
Eveline Peden, daughter of James, brother of John (same 
house). They are childless and are the honored historians of 
of their families, John and James, through the courtesy of 
their niece, Harriet Eveline Jarvis, who has done their 
writing, and who is making the last stages of their long pil- 
grimage happy in her warm, loving heart and home. 

5, Mary born July 14, 1823; died 1827. 

6, Sarah, born May 18, 1826. Married W. P. Knox. One 
child, a son, Sarah, died April 31, 1849. 

7, Eliza, born Dec. 26, 1829; died 1865. 

8, Nancy, born Aug. 18, 1833. Married David T, Peden, 
first cousin, son of Alexander (same house). Nine or ten 
children who are in Parker County, Texas, 

III., Robert, second son of this house, was born at Fair- 
view, S. C. Married Mary, or Polly, Miller, of Spartanburg 
County, S. C, in 1813; her birth date being Jan. 15, 1795. 
After the birth of two children, sons, they turned their faces 
westward towards the newly opened lands of Cherokee, in 
North Alabama. Their children were: i, Robert Miller, born 
Oct. 23, 1814; died in 1859 or i860. 2, James Alexander, 
born Dec. 3, 1816; lost in California. 3, Jane Dodds, born 
Nov. 15, 1819; died Sept. 17, 1878. 4, John P., born May 8, 
1822. Killed in the Confederate cause during a skirmish near 



THE FEDEXS OF AAIERICA. 273 

home, 1861 or 1862. 5, David R., born April 13, 1825; died 
Jan, 29, 1849. 6, Nancy K., born Feb. 25, 1828. Lost in Mis- 
souri. 7. William T., born Jan. 15, 1831 ; died May 3, 1856. 
8, IVrary E., born May 7, 1837; died Oct. 7, 1840. 9, Joseph 
F., born Aug. 13, 1840. Lost in Missouri. 

W. P. Black's very interesting narrative is inserted here. 
He is a grandson. 

My mother, Jane Dodds Peden's people, are scattered 
froni South Carolina to California. Most of them are lost to 
us, as far as knowing their locations exactly. My mother 
was ;i daughter of Robert and Mary Peden, I never saw but 
two of her family, my uncles, James and David. My mother 
often had letters from them up to the civil war, but after that 
time very seldom. 

She loved her family dearly, would often tell me of their 
pleasant associations and fun making expeditions around 
Spartanburg, and later in Cherokee County, Alabama. At 
the latter home she left them. Came on a visit to Kentucky 
to her mother's brother, WilHam Miller, in 1838; she then 
met my father, James Shaw Black, and they were married in 
this neighborhood in the early part of 1839. They visited her 
family in Alabama in 1840. She never saw any of them after- 
ward, except the two brothers before mentioned, 

I was in Alabama in 1870 and met some of her people ; 
among them one very old man, James Alexander, who was 
related but I do not know how. Their county seat then was 
at Center (since that time Cherokee County has been divided 
into several counties). Two of my mother's brothers re- 
mained in Cherokee County until they died. The oldest, 
Robert Miller Peden, in 1859 or i860; left a wife, but no 
children. The other, John P. Peden, was killed in the South- 
ern army, not far from home in 1861 or 1862. He left a fam- 
ily of children living near the Georgia line. Uncle David 
died here (Crider, Ken.,) in 1849, soon after his return from 
the Mexican war. Uncle James visited my mother during 
1849- 1850, He had been living in Mississippi prior to that 
time for some years, but had determined to go to California, 



274 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

and made a farewell visit before starting. He wrote back 
several times from Sonoma Valley, Cal. We never heard 
from him after the civil war. 

My grandfather, Robert Peden, removed from North Ala- 
bama to Missouri; date lost, so do not know whether before 
or after grandmother's death, which occurred in 1853, but am 
* inclined to think she died in Missouri. He married again in 
that State. Was quite old when he died, ninety or ninety-one 
years of age, making death date about 1880 or 1881. 

My aunt, Nancy K. Peden, married a Mr. Pilant, living 
near Independence, Missouri, when last heard from. My 
mother's youngest brother, Joseph F. Peden, lived at Ozark, 
Mo., at last hearing. Records sent are copied from my 
mother's Bible. 

Jane Dodds Peden, eldest daughter and third child of 
Robert and Mary Miller Peden, married James Shaw Black 
in 1839. Mother of two sons : David Alexander, born Jan., 
1840, died July, 1857. W. P., born July 16, 1843, on the old 
Kentucky homestead, where he now lives,and hopes to die, 
Crider, Ken. Was first married to Evaline Brelsford. After 
almost a brief, happy year she died in June, 1865. In Feb., 
1867, was again married to Mary Wilson, who died Sept., 
1897, leaving two children: Jane Ella, Thomas W. Both at 
home, unmarried, and with their father constitute the "Ken- 
tucky trio." 

(Signed) W. P. Black. 

lY., James, third son of this house, was born at the old 
home, Fairview, S. C. Served as a soldier in three wars, 
Creel: and Seminole, "1812," and Texan Independence, 1845- 
1846. He married Mary Baker, noted for her devoted piety. 
She was born Feb. 22, 1792. Their children, seven in num- 
ber, went with their parents to Kemper County, Miss., being 
among the pioneer Pedens of that State, also founders of 
Smyrna Presbyterian church. James Peden was a successful 
farmer, and blacksmith by trade ; after a long useful life died 
and is buried at Smyrna church, Kemper County, Miss. 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 275 

Their children are in the States of Mississippi and Texas 
useful and important citizens. They are as follows: i, Elea- 
nor Olivia, Jan. 13, 1819; 2, Margaret Evehne, Nov. 18, 1820; 
3, John Tillinghast, Oct. 22, 1822; 4, James Dunbar, June 25, 
1825; 5, Mary Ann, Nov. 13, 1827; 6, Andrew Hugh Hamil- 
ton, April 4, 183 1 ; 7, William M., Aug. 22, 1834. 

1, Eleanor Olivia (Peden) married her brother-in-law, 
Thomas Pearson. Mother of two children: Frank, 1858; 
Mary Ann, i860. They moved to Parker County, Texas, in 
i860 and both died in 1899. 

2, Margaret Eveline (Peden) married her first cousin, 
David Peden, only son of John, the eldest son of this house, 
of which he is their acknowledged historian. They were 
married Sept. 18, 1843. 

3, John Tillinghast Peden married Rebecca Stennis (house 
of Alexander). They were parents of: Mary Ann, 1844; 
Marg^aret Eveline, 1848. Both sisters married brothers 
named Lovelady, and went to Texas. James Alexander, 
1846. married Winnie Allen. Name of fourth child not on 
the record. John Tillinghast Peden died, 1856, in the prime 
of Hfe. 

4, Tames Dunbar Peden married his kinswoman Laura Ann 
Peden, of the house of Samuel. She became the mother of: 
I, John Richmond Peden; 2, Harriet Eveline; 3, James 
Thomas ; 4, Martha Elizabeth ; 5, Alary Rebecca ; name of 
the other cliild not on record. Laura Ann (Peden) Peden 
died in 1862. 

In 1865 James Dunbar Peden was married to Matilda 
Fowler, originally Matilda Peden, a kinswoman, being a 
widow with two children. She became mother of the follow- 
ing children: 7, Matilda Josephine, 1866; 8, George Madison, 
1869, 9, Samuel Wilson, 1872; 10, Annie Laura, 1874; 11, 
Flugh Hamilton, 1S78; making eleven children in this house- 
hold. 

I, John Richmond Peden, 1850, and his wife, Matilda Jarvis, 
Their twelve children : Martha Ann, 1875 ; James Jarvis, 
1876; Indiana Florence, 1878; Mabel Clare, 1879; Ada Pearl, 



276 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

1881 ; William Kertis, 1883 ; John Thomas, 1885 ; Bonnie 
Ruth, 1887; Battie Dot, 1889; Matilda Inez, 1891 ; Seth, 
1893; Clifton Carlyle, 1895. 

2, Harriet Eveline (Peden) wife of E. T. Jarvis, writer for 
historian this line, was born 1855; married 1874. Their 
children are seven: Laura Eugenia, 1875; Sarah Elizabeth, 
1878; William David, 1880; Ida Josephine, 1883; Martha 
Ann, 1886; Mary Leona, 1888; Kate Eveline, 1891. The three 
grandchildren of this couple, being in the seventh generation 
from John, the father of the house of Peden, are those of 
their daughter Sarah Elizabeth (Jarvis) wife of John T. 
Peden, of the house of Samuel, they are, Lois, 1898; Ruth, 
1900; John T., 1902. 

3 James Thomas Peden, 1856, and his wife Nancy Hous- 
ton, 1858, are parents of four children: Jessie, 1882; Albert, 
1883; James, 1887; Clay, 1890. 

4, Martha Elizabeth (Peden), 1858, wife of John Thomas 
Peden (house of Samuel). Their children are : Annie Laura, 
1892; Mary EveHne and Earle Alexander (twins), 1894. 

5, Mary Rebecca (Peden), i860, wife of Dewitt Vander- 
vander. Two children: Jessie, 1892; Virgie, 1894. She then 

married the second time Palmer. Three children : 

Henry and Herbert (twins), Laura Edna. 

6, Matilda Josephine (Peden), 1866, wife of Milton Smith, 
1869. Their children are: Frank, 1888; James, 1891 ; Ernest, 
1893 ; Clyde, 1895 ; Mary M., 1897 

7, George Madison Peden, 1869. 

8, Samuel Wilson Peden, 1872, and his wife, Madie Clark, 
Their children: Vera, 1894; Elizabeth, 1896. 

9, Annie Laura (Peden), 1874, wife of Henry Sanford, 
1873 No children. 

10, Hugh Hamilton Peden, 1878, and his wife, Alberta Jar- 
vis, 1882. One child, Guy, 1900. 

5, Mary Ann (Peden), born Nov. 13, 1827; married Thomas 
Pearson in 1848. Was mother of: James Wilson, 1850; 
David Andrew, 1853; Sarah Eleanor, 1856; name of youngest 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 277 

missing. She died and her eldest sister married her husband 
and took charge of her children. 

6; Andrew Hugh Hamilton Peden, born April 4, 183 1 ; 
married Catherine Stewart. Childless. He died for the Con- 
federate cause, 1862. 

7, William M. Peden, born Aug. 22, 1834. Died in Con- 
federate service, 1862. 

James Dunbar Peden was a successful farmer. He died in 
1887, aged sixty-two years. He served through the entire 
civil war on the Confederate side 

v., Penelope, second daughter of this house, was born at 
Fairview, S. C. She grew up "fair, fat and rosy, with a merry 
heart and sunny temper," and married Samuel H. Baker, a 
man eminent for his beautiful Christian life and character. 
Says an old record: "The removal of Samuel H. Baker from 
this (Fairview) church is a great blow." This removal took 
place in 1836, first to Anderson County, S. C, where the wife 
and mother died, leaving the father and tne children to make 
the second removal to Mississippi. There were seven sons 
and three daughters : Franklin, Whiteiield, Wilson, Samuel, 
David, James, Lindsay, Eleanor, Esther, Ann. 

All of these save Lindsay and Ann went to Mississippi and 
sleep at Friendship Presbyterian church, near Van Vleet, 
Chickasaw County, except James, who was lost in the civil 
war, a brave soldier of the Confederate cause, and whose 
body was never recovered, whose soul went up to his Maker 
through the smoke and din of a fierce battle. Esther moved 
to Texas with her family and is buried at Corsicana, Texas. 
(Of Lindsay there is no trace given here.) 

Ann married John Brownlee, lived and died at Westmins- 
ter, S. C. No trace of her family. 

Wilson Baker's sons live in Chickasaw County, Miss. 
There are only two living out of a large family. 

Franklin Baker's family are in Texas. They number seven. 

Esther Baker married her kinsman John M. Peden 
(houses of Thomas and Alexander). Two of her sons are liv- 



278 THE PEDBNS OF AMERICA. 

ing, Hugh Peden, in Chickasaw County, Miss., White Peden, 
in Vandale, Ark. 

Eleanor Baker married a kinsman, Martin W. Peden 
(houses Thomas and Alexander). Six of her children are 
living'. 

Both these sisters are, with their families, included in the 
houses of Thomas and Alexander. 

(Signed) J. W. T. Peden. 

VI., William, fourth son of this house, was born in the old 
Fairview home. He was a child of unusual promise and 
great beauty. His devout father, at his baptism, set him 
apart solemnly consecrating him to the "holy ministry of the 
Presbyterian Church." William however had other views, he 
was "a soldier born," so after passing successfully through 
"three wars" he came home and married his pretty first 
cousin, Cynthia Peden (house of John). They soon after 
moved to Roswell, Ga., where they spent many years. Their 
children were: i, Eleanor; 2, Louisa; 3, Jane; 4, Rebecca; 
5, Margaret ; 6, William ; 7, Cynthia ; 8, Samuel. 

1, Eleanor Peden never married. 

2, Louisa Peden never married. 

3, Jane Peden married Arnold. Their children were 

five in number: i, John; 2, Eliza; 3, William; 4, Anna; 5, 
Lula, 

1, John Arnold married Martha Tribble. Three children: 
James, Jane, Claude. 

2, Eliza Arnold married Dr. Harvey Lewis. Three children : 
Thomas, Eva, Mary. Of these Thomas Lewis married. Wife's 

name unknown. One child. Eva Lewis married Knox. 

Names and numbers of children unknown. 

3, William Arnold married Ella Drake. Five children: 
Howard, Ben, Frank, Laura, Ella. 

4, Anna Arnold married H. Mitchell. Three daughters : 
Hattie, Mamie, Annie. Hattie Mitchell married In- 
graham. Mamie Mitchell married . Annie Mitchell 

married Bennett. 



THE PEDENS OF AMEKICA. 



279 



5, Lula Arnold married Dr. Geo. H. Vincent. No children. 
4, Rebecca Peden married Aaron Butler. Four children ; 
I, George; 2, Mary; 3, Ervine ; 4, Fannie 

1, Rev. George Butler, M. D., missionary of the Southern 

Presbyterian Church to North Brazil. Married Kil- 

patrick. Five children, names unknown. They have been in 
their present field since 1876, and have been greatly blessed 
in the battle with Romanism. 

2, Mary Butler married Andrew Stewart. No children of 
her own, but has reared and educated a number of nieces and 
nephews. 

3, Ervine Butler married Fannie Stewart. Four children: 
Lena, Maude, William, Kittie. Maude married ; name un- 
known. 

4, Fannie Butler married Henry McNeely. Three children : 
Aaron, Walter, Claude. Aaron McNeely married Ola Webb. 
One child. 

5, Margaret Peden married Englebert Flake. No children. 

6, Cynthia Peden married first George Wrigley. Three 
children : Edward, Helen, Eva. The two first are not mar- 
ried. Eva Wrigley married Dr. H. Rice. Three children : 
William, Elkin, Louise. Name of second husband is un- 
known. 

7, William Peden died in the Confederate cause after a 
hard fought battle in Virginia, 1863, one of the bravest, most 
daring sons of the house of Peden. 

8, Samuel Peden married Mary Albritian. Two sons : John, 
William. Both married and have four children each ; names 
unknown. 

Both these brothers, William and Samuel, were members 
of the first Atlanta company to go to the front during the 
civil war. William gave his life. Samuel went to the bitter 
end, 

(Signed) Margaret Paden Flake. 

Vn., Thomas, fifth son of this house, was born at Fair- 
view, S. C. He was a gun and locksmith by trade, and mar- 



aSo THE PEDBNS OF AMERICA. 

ried Nancy, daughter of "That redoubtable, old Whig rebel, 
Bill Hanna, who escaped unhung," (Allaire's Diary), one of 
the heroes of Cowpens, S. C. 

They settled near the old home on the mill tract, later ex- 
changed for a better place on Reedy River, where he built his 
shops and spent his hfe. The Peden historian recalls this old 
couple among her earliest memories, standing in great awe 
of Aunt Nancy, who was a precise house wife with a horror of 
children. Her hair, which was "ruddy gold," rolled away 
from her broad brow in a Pompadour of short natural curls. 
Her caps were snowy white and had no frill the curls forming 
a natural trimmnng. Her face was handsome. Dear "Uncle 
Tommy" was the historian's grandmother's champion on 
more than one occasion. He and Aunt Nancy, who was a 
devoted Methodist, are buried at Fairview. Their only child, 
a son, was David Thomas Peden, who was born 1840. He 
was also a gunsmith, and during the civil war first enlisted as 
a member of Company E., Hampton Legion, but was sent 
home in 1863 to engage in the manufacture of ammunition 
in the Confederate government works at Greenville, S. C. 
(A few hundred yards from the historian's home stands the 
site of this once famous "gun foundry.") 

He was married about 1855 to Lucinda Terry, daughter of 
Charles and Pamela Terry. To this couple was born one 
child, a daughter, the mother dying a few weeks after her 
birth. She was never replaced. There were the two good 
grandmothers, and "Aunt Ellen," as the historian's own 
grandmother was called. 

David Thomas Peden answered the higher roll-call of the 
Christian soldier in 1875- 1876. The old home is still the 
property of Alice Peden Brooks, his daughter. 

Alice (Peden) Thomason Brooks was born 1858, and was 
married in 1878 to Francis Thomason. Their children were: 
David Edward Thomason, Nina Lee Thomason, Annie May 
Thomason, Francis Capers Thomason. After a few years of 
widowhood she married Capt. Brooks, of Simpsonville, S. 



THE PEDENS OF AMEHICA. 281 

C. Their children are : Bertie Lee Brooks, Marie Brooks, 
Gertrude Brooks, Carl Peden Brooks. 

VIII., Rebecca, third daughter of this house was born at 
the old home, Fairview, S. C. She never married, and after 
the death of her father, found home and welcome among her 
numerous brothers and sisters, living to a good, old age, and 
leaving a host of nephews and nieces to lament her and miss 
her ministrations. Her last resting place is in Georgia, or 
Kemper County, Miss. 

IX., Samuel, sixth son of this house, was born at Fairview, 
S. C. He like the others grew up to manhood in the old 
place and married his first cousin, Malinda or Linnie Peden 
(house of John). They moved to Gwinnett County, Ga., and 
were parents of four children, three daughters and one son : 
I, Elizabeth Ann; 2, Eleanor; 3, Susan; 4, James. 

1, Elizabeth Ann married James R. Jackson. Six children: 
Hugh Hamilton, Virginia, Elbert, Samuel, Amanda, Sarah. 
Of these the first three married, but there are no further 
records and all trace is lost. 

2, Eleanor married Riley Bracewell. Three children, all of 
whom died in early childhood. 

3, Susan married S. Gwinn. Four children. No further 
record. 

4, James, the only son, fought bravely through the civil 
war; rose to the rank of captain. One authority states that 
he laid his life down for the Confederate cause in one of the 
battles near Atlanta, Ga . Another that he survived the war 
and married ; wife's name not given ; then removed to Mis- 
sissippi, where he soon after died, leaving no children. 

The records of this line are very incomplete, these few 
were kindly given by Andrew Jackson, a former friend and 
neighbor. 

X., Alexander, seventh son of this house, was born at Fair- 
view, S. C. He is described by one of his descendants as 



282 THE PEDBNS OF AMERICA. 

"being of fine physique, and handsome of face." He went to 
Georgia with his brothers. There he met and married Re- 
becca Durham. After a few years in Georgia they went to 
Kemper County, Miss. For him the town of Peden, Miss., 
is name.d. In 1875 there was a exodus of Pedens to Texas, 
among them Alexander Peden and all his sons. They all 
settled near each other in Parker and Tarrant Counties. He 
lived only four years after this move, dying suddenly of 
rheumatism of the heart, in 1880. 

"He was a grand, old man, robust, jovial, but famous for 
what we call 'Peden temper,' though a kinder, more gene- 
rous-hearted man never lived, full of fun and always ready to 
play a prank or practical joke on some one," so writes his 
grandaughter, Kate D. Stafford. 

In this household there were twelve children, seven sons 
and five daughters ; of this happy band seven remain, four of 
the sons and three daughters. Their names are as follows : 
I, Mary E. ; 2, Susan M. ; 3, David T. ; 4, John A. ; 5, Matilda 
F. ; 6, Rebecca J. ; 7, James D. ; 8, Andrew H. ; 9, Lacy G. ; 
10, Levi F. ; 11, George D. ; 12, Josephine. 

1, Mary E. Peden married Wm. Deaton. Their children: 
I, Alex. Peden; 2, Susan M. ; 3, Mary E. ; 4, Thomas ; 5, John 
B. ; 6, Frances ; 7, George D. ; 8, Mina D. ; 9, Pat Dimock ; 
10, Lillie J. and a baby boy who lived only a few days. Out 
of this dear household of eleven, seven have gone. The dear 
"boy cousins" Alex., Tom and John, Mina and Pat died when 
very young. The sisters are left save Fannie, and of the boys 
only George . 2, Susan M. married Capt. Joe Perry and 3, 
Mary E. married T. L. Carruthers. These sisters were also 
extremely handsome women, the eldest has been a widow for 
more than twenty-five years, and the youngest nearly as long. 
10, Lilly Josephine has been married twice ; first husband was 

Birdsong; the second Fisher. If these sisters have 

children no record has reached the writer. 

2, Susan Marion Peden married Rev. C. P. Sisson, of the 
Baptist Church, they had no children "they were beautiful in 
their lives, and in death were not divided." 



THE PEDENS OF AMEKICA. 283 

3, David T. Pedeii married Nancy, his first cousin, daughter 
of John, eldest son of this h'ne. They had a number of daugh- 
ters and only one son, Marion Peden, who lives at Reno, 
Parker County, Texas. 

4, John A. Peden also married his cousin, Matilda Fowler. 
He was killed in the Confederate army, leaving her a widow 
with two daughters: i, Louella Peden, the eldest, married 
Daniel Clark. They have six children :Effie, John George, 
Josephine, Gladys and Hutton. 2, Johnsie Peden, the young- 
est, married David Pearson, who died a few years ago. Her 
children are with her at her mother's home, Cottondale, Tex. 

5, Matilda F. Peden married Rev. W. J. Collins, eminent 
Baptist minster. Their children were thirteen: i, Kate D. 
2, Wilh'am T. ; 3, L. Henry ; 4, Eva Deaton ; 5, Lois Judson 
6, Alex. ; 7, Charles Marion ; 8, Frank Peden ; 9, Claude W. 
10, Elia C. ; 11, Ada M., 12, Luta L. The Httle baby died. 

Two of the brothers are living: 2, Wm. T. Collins and, 7, 
Charles Collins. The first has been married twice. Has seven 
children. Charles unmarried. 

4, Eva D. Collins manied G. W. Hudson. Has no children. 
Her husband is county judge of Anderson County, Texas. 

II, Ada M. Colhns married W. G. Smith. One child. 

5, Lois J. Collins ; 10, Elia C. Collins, and 12, Luta L. Col- 
lins, are unmarried. 

I, Katie D. Colhns, the eldest and historian of this line, 
married W. U. Stafford. They have ten children, seven are 
living : George Ervin, Wm. Reagan, Katie Lois, Henry H., 
Peden Wallace. Annie M., Charles W. Bruce. 

6, Rebecca T. Peden married William Young. Is the mother 
of eight children: i, Samuel A.; 2, A.nna E. ; 3^ Rebecca M. ; 
4, John W. ; 5, Frances J. (who died at six years) ; 6, Henry 
D. ; 7, Mary E. ; 8, James D. Three married, i, Samuel A. 
Young married Lizzie Bennett, 1880, who died shortly after- 
Avards. 4, John W. Young married Mattie Franklin, 1891. 
They have had four children: Clyde, born 1893; Floyd, born 
1895; Henry, born 1897; Samuel, born 1899 (died). 7, Mary 



284 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

E, Young married John T. Mitchell, 1895. Three children: 
Eva, 1897: Deaton, 1899; Essie, 1900. 

7, James Dunwoody Peden married a distant cousin, Mar- 
garet Stennis, during the civil war. They reared a large fam- 
ily. No record. 

8, Andrew Hamilton Peden married Mary Chambers. No 
children. 

9, Lacy Peden married Ellen Terry. They have several 
children. No record. 

10, Levi Franklin Peden; killed in Confederate service 
during civil war, unmarried. 

11, George D. Peden married; wife's name not known; Hve 
in Indian Territory. 

12, Josephine Peden died in young womanhood. 

XL, Eleanor Goodgion, youngest daughter of David, and 
eldest child of Margaret, his second wife, best known as Ellen, 
was born at the old home, Fairview, S. C. Married James 
Dunbar, who came over direct from Randallstown, Bally- 
mena, "County A.ntrim, Ireland, during the summer of 1820. 
Tlieir marriage took place on her "fifteenth birthday," June 
16, 1824. She died May 12, 1899, having survived her par- 
ents, all her brothers and sisters, her husband and two 
daughters a number of years, and the sun went down on this 
long Christian pilgrimage of nearly ninety years, spent at 
Fairview, the beloved home place of the Pedens. She sleeps, 
but on that brighter shore has heard the glad "well done !" 
Their children were three daughters: i, Elizabeth McConnell, 
born August 29, 1825. "The sun being about an hour high." 
Thus chronicles her father. 2, Margaret Emily, born Decem- 
ber 9, 1834. 3, Jane Caroline, born Oct. i, 1837; died Jan. 
24, 1864. 

I. Elizabeth McConnell Dunbar married Dr. J. W. Hewell, 
of Merriwether County, Ga., Aug. 22, 1848, while on a visit 
to her uncles in Pike County, Ga., near Pedenville, Rev. 
Andrew G. Peden performing the ceremony, at the home of 
his brother. David H. Peden. Their children: i, Eleanor M., 



THE PEDENS OF AMEHICA. 285 

Peden historian, born in Lafayette, Ala., Feb. 7, 1853. 2, 
Eugenia Dunbar, born in Lafayette, Ala., Oct. 5, 1857. . 3, J. 
Dunbar, born in Tuskeegee, Ala., July 17, 1859; died April 
9, i860. 4, John Witherspoon, born Feb. 2, 1865, at Fairview 
S. C. 

1, Eleanor M. and, 2, Eugenia D. unmarried. 

4, Dr. John W. married Meta, only daughter of Capt. C. 
Marion Mcjunkin, June 19, 1893. Their children: Marion 
Mcjunkin, born June 10, 1898, in Greenville, S. C. EHzabeth, 
born March 23, 1900, in Greenville, S. C. Barbara, born 
April 18, 1902, in Greenville, S. C. 

2, Margaret Emily Dunbar married William G. Britt, of 
Pike County, Ga., Dec. 18, 1851, at the old home, Fairview, 
S. C. Their childrn: i, ]\Iarion Cassius, born Oct. 10, 1852, 
in Pike County, Ga. 2, Mary Ida, born Oct. 8, 1855, in Pike 
County, Ga. 3, William Hewell, born Sept. 2, i860, in Pike 
County, Ga. 

1, Rev. Marion C. married Elizabeth Hurt, of Atlanta, Ga. 
No children. 

2. Mary Ida Britt married, Nov., 1879, A. M. Weir, known 
all over the South as "Sarge Plunket," of the Atlanta Con- 
stitution Their children are: i, William S. ; 2, Marion Britt; 
3, Mary Withrow ; 4, Addison Milton, Jr. ; 5, Kate ; 6, Robert ; 
7, Ernest. 

1, William S. W'eir married Clara Mull, of Atlanta. Their 
children : Willie May, Thomas Patrick, Margaret Emily. 
These are in the seventh generation from John Peden. 

2, Marion Britt Weir married Samuel J. Clark, of Atlanta. 
No children. 

3, William Hewell Britt married Hattie Denmark. One 
child, Emma- Jo. 

XII., Rev. Andrew Gilliland Peden. This noble son of the 
house of David was born at the old home, Fairview, S. C, and 
"passed beyond our ken" on the 19th of Jan., 1896. His me- 
morial appears elsewhere on these pages. He married first 
Margaret Dantzler, descended like himself from a Revolu- 



286 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

tionary ancestry. Their children: i, David Dantzler ; 2, Mary 
Crawford (died) ; 3, EHzabeth Miller ; 4, Alexander Vernon 
(died). 

I, David Dantzler Peden, of whom a sketch appears else- 
where, is a native of the grand old "Spartan District," S. C. 
He married Frances Dickey Plowden, of South Carolina, one 
of the rarest of women, of whom no eulogy could be extrava- 
gant, and who went to be with Jesus January 19, 1897, from 
out of the grief stricken home circle at Houston, Tex., leav- 
ing two sons a legacy to the Peden name : i, Edward Andrew, 
born March 5, 1868; 2, Dickey Dantzler, born , 1874. 

I, Edward Andrew Peden married lone Allen, of Houston, 
Tex., in February, 1894. Their children: Allen Vernon, born 
Jan. 5, 1899; David Edward, born Jan. 20, 1901 ; lone Hor- 
tense, born October 19, 1902. There was not life for both, 
the mother died that the child might live, so "in the gray 
dawn of October 21, God called the pure and loving spirit of 
her whom we knew as lone Allen Peden to put off its clothing 
of corruptible flesh. Truly the ways and reasons of the 
rulings of the Lord's law are to mere mortals 'past all finding 
out;' and blessed is he who can devoutly cry: 'Thy will, O 
Lord, not mine, be done.' 

"The wife of Mr. E. A. Peden and daughter of Mrs. Sam 
Allen, Mrs. Peden's life was made, by the tender ministra- 
tions of her family circle as well as by the prompting of her 
own loving heart and dutiful disposition, 'one grand sweet 
song.' 

"Those of Mrs. Peden's family to whom her friends hearts 
go out in affectionate sympathy, beside her husband, her 
mother and three sweet little children, are her brothers, 
Percy, Baltis and Eugene, and especially her sisters, Mrs. 
Menefee and Misses Jennie and Ruth Allen. 

"The tremendous quantity and exquisite loveliness of the 
flowers sent to the Peden residence on Tuesday morning as 
tokens of loving regard and tender sympathy has never been 
surpassed in Houston. The beautiful body of our now- 
silenced singer lay almost embowered in their masses of 



THE FEDEXS OF A3IERICA. 287 

sweet purity. All the clubs to which Mrs. Peden belonged 
sent handsome tributes and some to which she did not belong 
sent them, too, because she had so generously sung for them. 
"Music is the only one of the arts practiced on earth which 
we have Biblical authority for believeing we carry to heaven 
with us when we die, so Mrs. Peden's God-given voice makes 
now a part of the angelic glorias." — Houston Daily Post, 
Sunday, October 26, 1902. 

3, Elizabeth Miller Peden married J. R. Tolbert, Oct 20, 
i860. Their children are: i, Peden Tolbert, born 1862; 2, 
John, born 1864; 3, Andrew Vernon, born 1867; died 
Jan. 3, 1886, in Georgia, at his grandfather Peden's ; 4, Harry 
Lee, born 1867; died Feb. 3, 1900; 5, CharHe Luther, born 
1872; died May 5, 1895; 6, Maggie Lizzie, born 1875; 7, 
Eugene Russell, born 1878; 8, David Dantzler, born 1880; 9, 
Mary Estelle, born 1884. 

T, Peden Tolbert and Miss Lucy Turner were married 1891. 
Their ':hildren are : Mary Elna, born 1893 ; Peden, Jr., born 
1895 ; Tom, born 1897. 

4, Harry Tolbert and Miss Fannie Nation were married 
1893. They also have three children: Una Blanche, born 
1894; Andrew Vernon, born 1895; Mamie lone, born 1898. 

5, Charlie Tolbert and Aliss Bertha Houston were married 
in 1892. Their children are: Carl, born 1893; Charlie Luther, 
born 1895. 

The second wife of Rev. A. G. Peden was Mary Isabella 
Britt, of Marion County, S. C, who died in 1852, leaving no 
children. 

The third wife was Margaret C. Davis, of Winnsboro, S. C. 
Their children are: i, Leonora Estelle; 2, Eleanor Eudora; 
3, Arthur Davis (died in infancy). 

1, Leonora Estelle married J. W. Sullivan. Their home is 
in Houston, Texas. The children of this household are : Leo- 
nora, Alargaret Peden, Luther AlcCall, Andrew Peden, Wil- 
liam Edward, Frances Eudora. 

2, Eleanor Eudora married Clark Sullivan. Their home is 
at Pedenville, Pike County, Ga. There are six happy children 



288 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

in theii- home : Malcolm Dubose, Annie Eudora, Ruth Peden, 
Margaret Lncile, William Bartlett, Julia Estelle. 

XTII , David Hamilton Peden, youngest son of the house 
of David, was born at P^airview, S. C. ; married Oct. lo, 1837, 
Lucilla Jones, of Abbeville County, S. C, who died June 30, 
1852, leaving four children, three sons and one daughter. He 
was married the second time to Julia Wrigley, of Macon, Ga., 
who survives him. He went to be with Jesus from his lovely 
home in Griffin, Ga., from the midst of a host of friends, sor- 
rowing grandchildren and devoted wife, Nov. 9, 1891. His 
sons died in the flush of early manhood leaving no families. 
The eldest son, Andrew vStephen (1842), was lost in one of the 
battles near Winchester, V^a., where he fills an unknown 
grave. The second, Alpheus (1845), died when almost home 
on a sick furlough (1861). The youngest, James Albinus 
(1850), died just as he reached stalwart manhood, 1886- 1887. 

His daughter, Henrietta Jane (1840), married Mr. Andrew 
Weir Blake, of Greenwood, S. C., in 1864. Their children: 
I, David Peden; 2, William Newton; 3, Andrew Stewart; 4, 
Lucilla Jones; 5, Walter Julian. 

Henrietta Jane (Peden) Blake preceded her father to the 
home in heaven almost a year, she went hence in the autumn 
of 1890. 

1, David Peden Blake married Genevieve Hemphill. Their 
children are : Andrew Eugene, David Pierson, Wilton Mc- 
Kay, Myrtle Josephine. 

2, William Newton Blake married Cora Malaier. Their 
children: John, Rennie, Andrew Joshua, David Peden. 

3, Andrew Stewart Blake married Mattie Daniel. Their 
children are : Otis Daniel, Arthur Copeland. 

4, Lucilla Jones Blake married George Coppedge, Griffin, 
Ga. Their children are: Jennie Blake, Julia Amelia. 

5, Walter Julian Blake married Georgia Guinn. Their 
children are : Guinn Weir, Julia. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

EN" REidNISCiE-NT MOOD. 

"Should you ask me, whence these stories ? 
Whence these legends and traditions ? 
I should answer, I should tell you — 
I repeat them as I heard them." 

In using these reminiscences of her grandmother, the 
Peden historian explains that it is not intentional to enlarge 
upon, or exalt this house above the others, or give it more 
space than is seemly, though it is one of the largest. This 
chapter really gives an insight into the inner life of these 
early pioneer homes, therefore what is true of one is true also 
of all — a pen picture with different personel that is all. These 
traditions drawn from the well-stored memory of Eleanor 
G. Dunbar, one of the youngest members of the household of 
David, are strictly true, not over-drawn, she being a woman 
who abhorred falsehood as she did murder or other crime. 
Little dreamed she of storing the mind of future historian of 
her race ; neither did the eager little listener imagine that 
some day she would rehearse these tales of a grandmother 
for the benefit and pleasure of future generations of Pedens. 
"Thus are honors thrust upon us." Being one of those tire- 
some, troublesome children endowed with the faculty of ask- 
ing endless questions, a still, nervous child, with an insatiable 
appetite for stories, true stories, she often taxed the patience 
of her elders. While her young companions delighted in 
fairy-lore, unless a tale was true it lost interest for her, so 
naturally her mind turned to history ven,^ early, the introduc- 
tion being "Scott's Tales of a Grandfather." 

This grandmother of sweet memory, though naturally a 
silent woman, was very indulgent to the young listener when 
in reminiscent mood. So the signal for the telling of some 
old time tale was usually when she sat down in her low 
seated, straight, high-backed chair, drew her knitting from a 



290 THE PECDBNS OF AMERICA. 

bag hanging from the fire-board, her pipe and tobacco from 
their places on the shelf an*d filled her pipe with the fragrant 
weed, packing it in well with fore-finger and thumb, then 
adroitly inserting it among the embers to crown it with a 
glowing coal. Matches were not plentiful in South Carolina 
during the dark days of 1864-1865. Besides, she was of an 
economical turn of mind and hated waste. She was ex- 
tremely industrious too for her fingers were always em- 
ployed, "never idle ,never still." After the breathless cere- 
mony of pipe lighting ended, the knitting adjusted, the story 
would begin ; very often the writer would bear her company 
with her own very grimy, tear-stained soldier's sock, or her 
own small stocking, not for the love of the work, oh no, but 
as a punishment for some childish misdemeanor she was 
doomed to knit at least ten or twelve tiresome "rounds," sit- 
ting beside grandmother, in the "stifif, little blue chair;" but 
the keen edge of the hated task was taken off by some story 
she dared not ask for vohmtarily. After a few long, delicious 
draws and whififs, how she enjoyed and coveted that pipe — 
"Well, ElHe, who must we talk about this time?" EUie gen- 
erally knew. Sometimes the dear dark eyes would dim with 
unshed tears ; sometimes brim o'Ver with fun ; sometimes 
flash with fire, and the nostrils dilate with courage, according 
to the nature of the story told. 

Many, very many, of these fireside tales were of the fathers 
and came direct to her from her own father, tales of adven- 
ture, persecution, battle, and of intense interest ; then later 
of her own day and time, some sad and some bright. One 
specially enjoyable was the first wedding that occurred in the 
household of David, which is rehearsed here to show the spirit 
of the times. It took place about 181 1 or 1812. The eldest 
daughter of the house, Margaret, or Peggy, said to be a 
reprint of Peggy McDill, "only having her father's black 
hair," was the bride. Now a marriage in the early homes of 
the Pedens was a very serious afifair, in solving all the "kith 
and kin," so as soon as it was hinted among the women by 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 291 

the expectant bride's mother (in this case step-mother), 
during the "intermission" at "meeting," there were knowing- 
nods and wise "I told you so," or incredulous, "Did ever I 
hear?" which must have been exceedingly trying to the 
young woman if she was present, which she generally was for 
there was no avoiding "m^eeting;" yet she bore the friendly 
banter quietly, knowing it was kindly meant if the match was 
approved ; if otherwise the hint was received in stern silence, 
and sombre head shakes, "but never a word sard they." 
Oftimes the reception of the information unfavorably had the 
desired effect, most freqeuntly not, and then they made the 
best of the affair, "Run-away" matches were very rare 
among the early Pedens, as their marriages were among 
themselves. From the "hint" to the wedding day there was 
suppressed excitement. All the house-mothers went to work 
to help with the trousseau and an article of household stuff 
to help out Margaret's kist which was already filled to over- 
flowing, thanks to her own industry and skill, also her step- 
mother's help. Homemade blankets, sheets, pillow "slips," 
valances, counterpanes, all trimmed with lace and fringes, 
quilts, coverlets galore. All saved eggs, fowls and fattened 
turkeys, laid by butter and sweet meats and laid aside the 
choicest ham for the feast. 

The men were not silent onlookers or sneerers, they held 
no consultations with their "women folk" but went steadily 
to work to help build the new home, whether they approved 
or not, made no criticism, made the simple new furniture, in- 
cluding the three-cornered cupboard from David Morton's 
shop, and looked over their flocks and herds for a pig or 
yearling cow for the new barn yard. The groom-elect was 
taken into the secret, but the bride was supposed to be en- 
tirely unconscious, and propriety forbade her asking any 
questions, or taking interest outside her wedding gown. 
This, in the earliest homes, was of fine Hnen made at home, 
but in the case of Margaret Peden was of some dainty fabric 
woven in foreign looms, and with attendant veil, gloves and 



29i THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

high-heeled slippers emerged mysteriously from the depths 
of her father's big market wagon when it stopped on the 
way home from market at Elizabeth Gaston's door. Said 
one neighbor to another: "Davie Peden stopped at the Gas- 
ton's the day, is any of they folks sick?" "Och dinna ye ken 
woman, Margaret is to be married till Jimmie Alexander?" 
was the reply. This dainty robe was evolved by the skillful 
fingers of Elizabeth Gaston, with a silken dress for the "in- 
fair," a great dinner given at the groom's father's next day. 
David Peden gravely disapproved the marriage of cousins, 
but he could not hold out against the genial warmth of this 
fair and debonair son of Alexander, who possessed the irre- 
sistible charm of his race. "Yes," Elizabeth Gaston de- 
clared, "Jimmie Alexander is all right, and, Davie, if he canna 
marry Margaret in your house, he shall in mine." This argu- 
ment was final, so Davie said no more and bonny Margaret 
went from her father's door as fair a bride "as ever the sun 
shone on." 

As to the wedding and the feast all the "kith and kin" were 
bidden, so the "big pot sat in the little pot." All the women 
came to assist. Aunt Elizabeth was in the lead, the mother 
was not strong so she was set aside, the bride banished up 
stairs with orders not to cry and spoil her eyes, neither was 
she to tell her beads and say her prayers but to rest and be 
out of the way, and dream happy dreams of the future. As 
for Jimmie, that restless young man was strictly forbidden 
the premises for two whole weeks, nor was he to have a 
gUmpse of his bride. To say he fretted under this restraint 
would be useless. He was 'no unworthy Alexander without 
resources of his own. Uncle Davie's spring proved very at- 
tractive. He had to pass the house to reach it and fair Mar- 
garet was far sighted ; moreover she was very thirsty, she 
wanted to have her water fresh ; also there was a grape-vine 
swing where she could rest. "Well 'twas ever thus, and love 
still laughs at the locksmith." At the house and in the big 
kitchen all was bustle and stir. There were cakes to bake 



THE PEDENiS OF AMERICA. 293 

and frost by the score. Aunt Violet, the sister of the mother, 
a famous cook in her day, took charge of the cakes and 
sweets. Aunt Polly Alexander took the breads, while Aunt 
Jenny Savage looked after the fowls and pastry, and Granny 
Hughes attended to the broihng, roasting and frying. The 
appetizing odors filled the autumnal air. Aunt Polly con- 
structed her famous pyramids of golden butter and Aunt 
Elizabeth made the "syllabub," modern whipped cream, 
flavored with wine ; there was boiled custard flavored with 
peach leaves or the "kernels," late cider and a drink made of 
honey. 

Aunt Elizabeth took charge of the table. Her china and 
silver were brought out to adorn this occasion, and all the 
glass attainable. The long table, composed of several bor- 
rowed ones, covered with snowy cloths and adorned with 
cedar boughs dipped in egg then sprinkled with flour, candles 
in lilies, made of waxed paper, shone brilliantly, bringing the 
loaded board into full relief. There were no flowers, they 
were regarded as unlucky at a wedding because so short 
lived. A hush fell over the assembled guests as Aunt Eliza- 
beth came down the narrow stairs with the blushing bride, 
whom she transferred to the care of her father, and by him 
was given to the waiting Jimmie Alexander. Soon the few 
words were spoken that made them one. The feast began 
soon after the ceremony and lasted into the small hours. 

Next morning the young couple departed on horseback, 
Jimmie riding proudly in front, while his bride was safely 
perched upon a pillion behind him, the entire company fol- 
lowing as an honorary escort over to his father's, Maj. John 
Alexander's, where the great "infair" dinner was to take 
place. After a week of dinners at various places, among them 
Aunt Elizabeth Gaston's, they went to their own humble 
abode on the creek, which had been slyly fixed in apple pie 
order against their arrival by the bride's family. 

The last wedding superintended by the loved Elizabeth 
Gaston, the last bride arrayed by her skillful hands, was the 



294 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

grandmother, who gave the tradition. The tall, queenly, 
beautiful Eleanor Peden. 

She thus describes her father, whom she seems to have 
loved with a devotion almost worshipful : "Father was one of 
the tallest of the seven brothers, verv erect and carried him- 
self like a soldier ; he was spare of build, his face was rather 
long and narrow, skin clear with the red showing underneath ; 
he was always clean-shaven, scorning a beard ; his eyes were 
almost black, keen and bright, his mouth very firm ; his nose 
just like mine, (which was acquilie and clean cut) ; his hair 
was fine as silk, black as a crow's wing, and as straight as 
an Indian's. His manner was serious most of the time, 
though he inherited a keen sense of humour from his mother. 
He was not a great talker. While seemingly a stern man he 
was almost worshipped by his family. Of all the seven broth- 
ers he was most like old John Peden in appearance, while in 
character he was more like his mother, Peggy McDill. Of 
his own children those most like him were my brothers John, 
'Robbie,' 'Tommie' and myself." 

Among other reminisences of him she told of the long, 
perilous journey down from Pennsylvania with his parents 
and brothers, John, Samuel and Alexander, to join other 
friends at Nazareth, in Spartanburg District, S. C. Here he 
remained with his parents sharing with them the vicissitudes 
of frontier life. When his father and brothers were away on 
the hunt, or serving soldier duty against the Indians, he was 
sent with his mother to one of the block-houses or forts, 
where he made himsejf useful bringing water and wood amid 
whistling arrows, moulding bullets and loading muskets in 
case of sudden attack by Indian and Tory. Thus he entered 
the training school of war at the age of ten or twelve, some- 
time before his actual services were demanded by his adopted 
country. At the outbreak of the Revolution, 1776, indeed, 
prior to this date, he was bearing arms, though but sixteen, 
or some authorities say fourteen, he was "as thorough a 
Whig patriot as ever shouldered gun." When his brothers, 



THE PEBENS OF AMERICA. 



295 



with their father, went to join Dan Morgan with the other 
"Tyger Irish," Davie marched too, greatly against the wishes 
of both father and brothers. He laughingly told how "they 
would have none of his company." But, for once he proved 
obstinate, tears and threats were of no avil, until the brave 
Peggy McDill took his part and joined the determined lad 
in the conspiracy, so she did naught to hold back her "baby 
boy." He soon found favor with his ofificers and while he 
never rose in rank, he became a great favorite with his 
soldier comrades. He was with the Hamptons part of the 
time ; again he followed the fortunes of Hughes, a soldier of 
great courage. He told of the winter at Valley Forge, of 
Brandywine ; then in the State of his adoption several im- 
portant partisan battles under different leaders. He was, 
after Gates' defeat, with Sumter, and many a tale of hair- 
breadth adventure and narrow escape did he tell ; of his 
life among the swamps and mountains, and of hardships in 
hiding, want of food, subsisting on green corn and sweet po- 
tatoes, until the rally of 1780. Then of Cowpens, where he 
was with Pickens; King's AIountain(i78i), Guilford C. H., 
and finally the grand culmination at Yorktown. Then the 
young soldier turned southward, half clad and shoeless, to 
encounter other perils on the way, yet to reach home and 
mother safe and sound, with father and all his brothers. 

Davie then went to learn the trade of miller with a Good- 
gion, presumably his fellow soldier, Robert Goodgion. There 
he met and won the sister or the daughter of the miller. 
Tradition locates this mill in several different places, near the 
present town of Gowensville, at the foot of the Saludas, and 
in Laurens County on Raeburn Creek, where Goodgion's 
mills still exist. The name Goodgion is a corruption of an 
old French name, but of the history of this family the writer 
is in profound ignorance, only in these days it ranks well 
socially, its women for fifty years have been noted for beauty 
of mind and person, while the men are successful in the busi- 
ness world. 



296 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

 Eleanor Goodgion was a sprightly, vivacious girl of six- 
teen when she became the bride of David Peden "in the hum- 
ble pioneer cabin home at the foot of the mountains," he hav- 
ing stated his willingness to serve seven years for her, such 
was his love for her, but his love was not so severely tested 
for she came with him to his home-building at Fairview to 
help rear their pioneer home in 1785. In addition to her 
beauty she had boundless pluck and energy, but in her fiery 
French blood there lurked "a demon of a temper," which 
blazed forth at times. David only remarked calmly, "that a 
little thunder cleared the air," and went his unruffled way. 
This is the legend of Peden temper, but, this hot temper is 
not confined to the descendants of Eleanor Goodgion. She 
was the fond idol of David Peden's life, its guiding star, high 
priestess of his hearthstone, and she brought 

"To her husband's house delight and abundance. 
Filling it full of love and the ruddy faces of children." 

She died in the year 1804 or 1805, leaving a desolate home 
and ten children, having attained only thirty-six years of age. 

The habits of this colonial household were very simple. 
David rose "long before light," made the fire by uncovering 
huge "chunks" from a bed of ashes. In those days fires were 
not allowed to go out for great annoyance and delays would 
have been the result. Matches did not exist and the nearest 
neighbor was miles away, still there was the "flint and steel" 
for emergencies. Then swung the kettle from the crane, 
soon the good wife followed, they employed themselves 
busily until "light." David lighted his candle of tSllow, 
hung the stick by its hook to a chair (this old relic still exists), 
and busied himself in making shoes for his many boys and 
girls ; Eleanor teased wool, or carded the fleece into long 
rolls for spinning until time for breakfast. While this was 
preparing, David "fed and milked." When the corn cakes 
and rashers of bacon and eggs were ready, mush and milk 
for the little ones prepared, the children roused and simply 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 297 

clothed, they all sat down to a frugal meal with thankful 
hearts. Then prayers and each set about the daily task. 

After the first few hard years, there was milk and butter 
in abundance, fowls were plenty, wild game still abounded in 
the woods. In a few years David Peden had so prospered 
that he had set up a "double mill" down on the creek, one for 
lumber and the other for grist. Had also planted extensive 
orchards of peaches and apples. 

Early in 1800 the cultivation of cotton was introduced 
among them, one brother bringing the seed home from 
Charleston, their only market, to and from which they made 
two or four long journeys each year, in their big wagons, 
drawn by four horses or mules. These brothers so arranged 
their marketing that they were never all absent at once. 
These trips being taken about Christmas, before planting 
time (March), after crops were laid by (July), and when they 
were gathered, harvestime. Two generally sufficed, but occa- 
sionally four were necessary. In this way they kept in touch 
with the outside world. True, the county courthouse was es- 
tablished in 1818, but did not furnish much attraction for 
these old wagoners, who clung to old ways and loved to camp 
out and sleep under the stars. 

They too had acquired a number of slaves, who were more 
like friends in these homes. David had, among others, two 
very curious characters, Joe, who claimed to be a king, and 
Delphi or Deify, who proved a capable nurse and cook, so 
was invaluable aid to the housewife whose health was giving 
way under the strain of a large household of children. She 
was known as "Granny," living to a great age. Not a few 
marvellous tales are told of the little, old, shriveled, black 
woman. Joe, after a short servitude, disappeared mysterious- 
ly, the supposition being, that he, in trying to find his way 
back to the coast, had been destroyed by wild beasts, Indians, 
or was drowned in trying to cross some deep stream. 

As years passed on it became necessary to add to the one 
main room. Others were shedded on. The big room, within 



298 THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

the memory of the writer, held the g-randfathcr's chair, a 
small stand, on which his Bible, hymn-book and case con- 
taining his spectacles lay, in the opposite corner the three 
cornered cnpboard, in another the huge four-poster with its 
snowy covers, valances and pillow-cases, all triumied with 
elaborate laces, or fringes, at its foot stood a tall table, also 
draped in white, on this were a few toilet accessories ; while 
above it hung the small mirror, or shaving glass, presumed 
to have been brought over by his father, John Peden, from 
Ireland, and used by his son. David, for like purpose; in 
another corner stood the steep, crooked staircase to the low, 
cosey chamber above; and on one side stood a book-case, 
then very new, and greatly valued. The long, narrow room 
just back was the dining-room where was placed the table 
with its long bench against the wall, on which the children sat 
to eat their meals and were gradually ])romoted to chairs on 
the other side, as one after another left the mother's lap, for 
a place on the bench. The other three rooms were sleep- 
ing apartments. 

The out-houses were the loom-house, kitchen, and negro 
cabins, the barns, gin-house and shops. 

As the pipe would sometimes die out the writer would ofifer 
to rekindle it but always met the gentle, but firm refusal, "No, 
that is how T learned to smoke, child, and I don't want you 
to learn how, it is a bad habit and grandmother is ashamed 
of it. When did I learn? well, when the women were on the 
looms it was troublesome to keep getting ofif to light their 
pipes, so I would do it for them.'" 

In 1807 David Peden married Margaret Hughes, of Spar- 
tanburg County, S. C. She was the daughter of that remark- 
able character Anne Hughes, who deserves a high place 
among the Women of the Revolution. That she has not 
adorned the pages of history is owing to the palpable neglect 
of her descendants, for she was not only a famous house-wife 
and cook, well skilled in wood-lore, but a patriotic soul de- 
voted to the Whig cause. She lived to a great age and her 
life would fill a volume of romance and adventure. 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 299 

Margaret Hughes was no longer in her first youth when 
she took pitv on David Peden and his big housefull of child- 
ren. She was a small body, with a big heart. She is described 
as a fair woman, all smiles and dimples, sunny of temper, and 
warm of heart ; rather silent but full of energy^ and industry, 
and soon brought order out of chaos, being a fine manager 
and skillful* housewife. Moreover, she brought a goodly store 
of household stufif with her as a dower. If the reader will turn 
to the last chapter of Proverbs and find there the best portrait 
of Margaret Hughes. She soon won and made life-long 
friends of most of her step-children as letters in the hands of 
the writer prove, and is held in reverent respect by their de- 
scendants. 

Margaret never rallied from the shock of her husband's 
death. She too was very ill with the same dread disease when 
he died, and did not regain consciousness until after he had 
been laid to rest some days. The date of her death is uncer- 
tain, either December 21, 1824, or April 9, 1825, this being 
her anniversary and forty-seventh birth-day. The heads of 
this large house sleep in the rock-walled God's acre at Fair- 
view, awaiting the resurection. Through the filial generosity 
of Capt'. D. D. Peden, neat monuments now (1900) mark the 
tombs of David Peden and both his wives, within the shadow 
of the Peden monument. 

Of her brothers the grandmother never tired telling and 
had many reminiscences of them. The writer does not re- 
call any of the three eldest, Johnny, Jimmie and Robbie. 
These all married and left the home nest while she was very 
young. Billie and Tommie were evidently her favorites. 
BiUie, handsome Billie, as she called him, was a boy of great 
promise, but too full of fun to be studious, while his father 
designed him for a scholar, and a future preacher. At the 
country school ''BilHe was a great dunce at his books." The 
father exacted his attendance, and a certain amount of study. 
Billie was jolly, good-tempered, but incorrigible. He was 
specially kind to the trio of half-brothers and sisters, denying 
himself oftentimes to gratify them. 



30O THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 

On one occasion a traveling show stopped at the Squire's 
(Alexander's), store, or "double-cabins" of later times, and 
Billie had worked hard to earn the money to go, so he very 
kindly offered to take the "young ones." Their mother con- 
senting they set out on the three-miles tramp, Davie, aged 
two, on Billie's broad back, Andy swinging to one hand, while 
Ellen timidly clung to his "coat tails." It was a long remem- 
bered occasion. Among other things the "ginger cake stall," 
so Billie out of his small store gave each of the "young ones'' 
a dime to spend. Ellen and Andy proceeded to invest and 
eat, but Davie held fast to his dime and cried for a cake, this 
so amused Billie that he bought a cake for him allowing him 
to keep the dime, doing without himself, refusing the share 
Ellen oflfered of hers. Repeating the story to his father when 
they reached home he expected him to enjoy the joke. Father 
looked at him very gravely and said, "Billie will never gather 
money, it burns his fingers, but Davie will hold his dollars 
'til the eagle screams." A prophecy literally fulfilled in the 
lives of the brothers, for Billie was always poor while Davie 
amassed a fortune. 

Again, instead of carrying out his father's wishes regard- 
ing preparatoin for the gospel ministry, amid the bitter lam- 
entation of the "young ones," handsome Billie mounted his 
big "chestnut roan" and rode off to be a soldier, and a 
soldier he was to the heart's core. After the war ended he 
came home safe and sound with his brothers James and 
Robert, only to further vex his father's soul by wedding his 
fair, first cousin, Cynthia Peden (house of John). 

Thomas, or Tommie, had a weakness for drink. Not often, 
but on occasions he would "take too much" and then was 
very hilarious, and his high-spirited wife declined to allow 
him to enter their well-ordered house in that condition. He 
was never past finding his way to Ellen's, her husband being 
of like mind with Tommie's wife, she always managed to 
hide him away, until he sobered sufficiently to make his ap- 
pearance. He was devoted to Ellen and she to him all their 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 



301 



days, spent near each other. In the dark days before her 
marriage all her other half-brothers and sisters opposed the 
step, but defying them all "Tommie stood stood by me, and 
I never forgot." So of all her older brothers Tommie was 
the one she loved best, despite his weakness. She said, "he 
had the best heart." 

Life in these primitive homes was not at all the colorless 
monotone it seems to the eyes of today. There were the 
annual camp-meetings, which were a kind of religious dissi- 
pation, when all the households packed into the big market 
wagons the necessary outfit and went into camp, either at 
Fairview or some other meeting house, far or near. 

The regular general or "old field" muster, which was a 
dissipation of quite another kind, where the old soldiers 
fought their battles over, and the young men were fired with 
enthusiastic admiration and desire to become soldiers also. 

The neighborhood frolics, such as log-rollings, barn-rais- 
ings, corn shuckings, where labor and pleasure were com- 
bined, and where the housewife furnished forth a sumptions 
out of door dinner or supper. 

The old-time quiltings, where every quilter was expected 
to be in her place as the sun peeped over the eastern rim of 
the horizon. Oftimes arriving in time for the early, appetiz- 
ing breakfast, composed of fried ham, eggs, chicken, hominy, 
johnny cakes, wheat biscuit, "raised" bread, butter, honey 
and hot steaming coffee, or cold, delicious buttermilk. These 
took place always in summer during the long, light days. The 
dinner was a test of the skill and inventive powers of the 
hostess. As many quilts were turned ofif as possible, the 
more the better pleased was she. Now these being for the 
use of every day, were not those beautiful creations of the 
quilters art, those marvels of wonder, which excite the ad- 
miration of later generations. They required the leisurely 
work of weeks. To be a rapid, or skilled quilter, was quite 
as much of an accomplishment as music or art is now. When 
the last quilt was cut from the frames, the men folks arrived 



ioi THE FEDEXS OF AMERICA. 

to take the quilters home, after the bountiful supper, the 
younger members sometimes remaining to indulge in romp- 
ing games. 

The sweet, little poem which closes the annals of the house 
of David was composed by that living light, that pillar of the 
church, eminent for devout, humble Christianity, Samuel H. 
Baker, one of the three Baker brothers whose lives left so 
sweet an incense to their descendants. The Hues were 
written for his daughters .Esther and Eleanor, one of whom 
worked them on a "samplar," from Which they were kindly 
copied for this work by her lineal descendant, John M. Peden. 

THE LAND FOR ME. 

Farewell ! farewell to all below, 
My Savior calls me I must go, 
I launch my barque upon the sea, 
This land is not the land for me. 

I find the winding paths of sin, 
A rugged way to travel in. 
Beyond the chilling waves I see 
The land my Savior bought for me. 

Farewell ! farewell I cannot stay. 
The home I seek is far away. 
Where Chirst is not, I cannot be. 
This land is not the land for me. 

Praise be to God my hopes on high 
Where angels sing and so will I — 
Where angels bow and bend the knee, 
O that's the land; the land for me. 

No night is there, 'tis always day. 
And God will wipe all tears away, 
And saints their Savior's face shall see, 
O that's the land, the land for me. 



THE PEDENS OF AMERICA. 303 

Where kindred spirits meet again, 
Secured from sorrow and from pain, 
May feast on pleasures full and free, 
O that's the land, the land for me. 

O sinners why will you not go — 
There's room enough for all below? 
Our boat is sound, our passage free. 
And that's the land, the land for me. 



-tj^l w^ 



\ 



I ci 



/ 



4 



THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY 
REFERENCE DEPARTMENT 



This book is under no circumstances to be 
taken from the Building
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Full text of "The Pedens of America; being a summary of the Peden, Alexander, Morton, Morrow reunion 1899, and an outline history of the ancestry and descendants of John Peden and Margaret McDill; Scotland, Ireland, America, 1768-1900"

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